MacRumors

Google Drive was updated today to make it easier for users to transfer their content from iOS devices to Android devices, Google announced. The company also published a new web page on the Android website detailing how it works.

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Once a user downloads Google Drive from the App Store, they can navigate toward the backup wizard by going to Menu > Settings > Backup in the app. From there, users can choose to sync select contacts, calendar events and photos or everything. Google recommends that users backup when their iPhone is connected to power and is on Wi-Fi, as backing up can take several hours. Additionally, the Google Drive app must stay open and the screen must stay on.

When users sign into their Google account on their new Android device their content will automatically sync.

Google has tried to make it easier for iPhone users to switch to Android in recent months, packing in a "Quick Switch Adapter" with the Pixel, which quickly transfers data directly from an iPhone to a Pixel phone. While the Quick Switch Adapter only works with the Pixel phone, the Google Drive method will also work with non-Pixel Android phones.

iPhone users who want to switch to Android must turn off iMessage before they officially switch devices.

Google Drive is available in the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Following complaints that the new watchOS 3.1.1 update is bricking some Series 2 Apple Watch models, Apple has temporarily pulled the update.

watchOS 3.1.1 is no longer available for download from the Watch app on the iPhone, with watchOS 3.1 listed as the most recent update for those who had not already downloaded and installed 3.1.1.

After installing watchOS 3.1.1, some Apple Watch Series 2 owners had their devices bricked. Affected Apple Watches are displaying a red exclamation mark on the screen that instructs them to visit www.apple.com/help/watch.

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The site directs Apple Watch owners to perform a force restart of the Apple Watch by holding down the side button and the Digital Crown, and says that if a restart does not work to restore the device, it will need to be taken in for service.

Resetting the Apple Watch has not worked for customers who have had their watches bricked by watchOS 3.1.1, and replacement Apple Watches will be required. Apple retail locations cannot service Apple Watches in store, because access to the diagnostic port (something not done in-store) is required.

Most users who are affected by the problem own an Apple Watch Series 2, and it is not yet clear why the update failed on some devices and not on others. watchOS 3.1.1 will likely be made available again once the bug is cleared up. Customers with an Apple Watch bricked by watchOS 3.1.1 should visit an Apple retail store or contact Apple support.

(Thanks, Manolo!)

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Last month, Apple introduced a new hardbound photo book called "Designed by Apple in California," chronicling 20 years of Apple product designs. A video starring Jony Ive accompanied the book on Apple's website, and Apple has now shared that video on YouTube.

In the video, Apple design chief Jony Ive talks about Apple's design team, the design studio, and Apple's work on prototyping products before moving on to talk about the book itself. "You understand the nature of an object so much more when you understand how it came to be. The book tells dozens and dozens of stories," Ive says.


"Designed by Apple in California" features more than 450 photographs of Apple products from the 1998 iMac to the 2015 Apple Pencil, documenting the materials and techniques used by Apple's design team over the last two decades.

The book is available exclusively from Apple.com and Apple retail stores, and is available in two sizes: small for $199 and large for $299.

Amazon today introduced a new app called "Amazon App: Browse, Search, and Shop," which is designed to let users look for and purchase items from Amazon.com.

Anyone can use Amazon's new app to browse through and search for products using dictation, but to make a purchase, an Amazon Prime membership is required. Amazon Prime costs $99 per year and offers benefits like Amazon Video and free two-day shipping.

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Amazon App includes product details, reviews, and "immersive" product images and videos, all of which can be viewed on the television screen. Purchases are made using the Apple TV remote, but users can also add items to a list to purchase later via an iPhone or computer.

Many Apple TV owners have long been hoping for an app that brings Amazon's Prime Video offerings to Apple's set-top box, but this is not that app. It's limited to shopping only.

Amazon's new app can be downloaded on fourth-generation Apple TV models for free.

Tag: Amazon

Amid a significant delay of its newest BeatsX headphones, Apple is offering a discount on two other Beats products, the Beats Pill+ Speaker and the Beats EP On-Ear Headphones.

The Beats Pill+ Portable Speaker, which comes in White, Red, and Black, is available for $199, a discount of $30 off the regular $230 price tag. Apple's Beats EP On-Ear Headphones are also discounted by $30, dropping the price from $130 to $100. The Beats EPs are available in Blue, White, Black, and Red.

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Apple's discount is rather unimpressive, as several third-party retailers regularly offer the Beats Pill+ and the Beats EP at that price point or lower. Amazon, for example, has the Beats Pill+ for $200, and Walmart and Best Buy both sell the Beats EP for $100.

Rumors earlier this week suggested Apple's BeatsX wireless headphones, introduced in October, would not ship out for two to three months. Apple confirmed rumors this morning with a website update that lists a February release date for the new earphones.

Originally meant to ship in the fall of 2016, the $149 wireless BeatsX headphones feature the same Apple W1 chip used in the AirPods, which also saw delays. Apple planned to ship AirPods in October, but needed "a little more time" before releasing them.

AirPods finally became available for purchase this morning with delivery dates as soon as next week, but limited supplies caused them to quickly sell out. AirPods purchased now will not ship out to customers until mid-January.

Tag: Beats

newitunes122logoApple today released a new iTunes 12.5.4 update, introducing support for the new TV app that was introduced in iOS 10.2 and tvOS 10.1 earlier this week.

iTunes 12.5.4 introduces support for the new TV app, plus it adds Touch Bar support for the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. In iTunes, the Touch Bar can be used as a scrubber to quickly fast forward and rewind through songs, movies, TV shows, and more.

The TV app is the new TV and movie hub on both iOS devices and the Apple TV, and is designed to serve as an Apple-designed television guide to help users find new content to watch. TV has a built-in store that surfaces iTunes movies and TV, along with highlighting a range of apps that offer television content.

Syncing is also an important element of the TV app, allowing users to better keep track of what they're watching across all of their devices.

iTunes 12.5.4 can be downloaded using the Software Update function in the Mac App Store.

Tag: iTunes
Related Forum: Mac Apps

macOS Sierra 10.12.2, released this morning, features several key bug fixes and addresses an issue that has plagued some customers who purchased a new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar -- battery life.

Apple believes that the battery life indicator in macOS Sierra is ultimately inaccurate and has led to some confusion about battery performance, and so it has been removed in macOS Sierra 10.12.2.

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Going forward, the battery icon in the Mac's menu bar will offer a look at remaining battery percentage, but it won't provide estimates on how long the MacBook Pro's battery will last. Here's what Apple said about it to The Loop:

Apple said the percentage is accurate, but because of the dynamic ways we use the computer, the time remaining indicator couldn't accurately keep up with what users were doing. Everything we do on the MacBook affects battery life in different ways and not having an accurate indicator is confusing.

Besides the apps we are working on all the time, there are a lot of things that are happening in the background that users may not be aware of that affects battery life.

MacBook Pro buyers have complained about getting less than 10 hours of battery life, reporting as little as three hours of battery life in some cases, but battery performance can vary significantly based on the apps and processes that are running.

Customers with poor performance may be using apps that are not optimized for the new MacBook Pro, and on the 15-inch machine, if an app engages the discrete GPU, battery life takes a significant hit. For MacBook Pro owners who are seeing bad battery life, it's worth checking the Activity Monitor to make sure the dGPU is not in use.

Spotlight indexing, iCloud photo syncing, and other behind-the-scenes processes can also have an impact on battery life, especially when a machine is new.

According to The Loop, Apple has done extensive battery life testing on the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and continues to stand by its battery life estimates of up to 10 hours. It seems Apple believes reports of bad battery life are largely based on the faulty indicator, but there have been some real world tests that don't rely on the estimate and still show poor performance.

Apple says its new MacBook Pros can get up to 10 hours of battery life when browsing the web or when watching iTunes movies.

Related Forum: macOS Sierra

Apple today released macOS Sierra 10.12.2, the second update to the macOS Sierra operating system that launched on September 20. macOS Sierra 10.12.2 comes two months after the release of macOS Sierra 10.12.1, and has been in testing since October 31.

macOS Sierra 10.12.2 is a free update for all customers who are running macOS Sierra. The update can be downloaded using the Software Update function in the Mac App Store.

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macOS Sierra 10.12.2 includes new emoji, introducing dozens of Unicode 9 characters like selfie, face palm, owl, shark, avocado, pancakes, bacon, and more, plus there are new profession emoji available in both male and female genders.

Apple has also updated the artwork on many existing emoji to make them look more realistic, and new color explosion wallpapers -- from the iPhone marketing materials -- have been introduced.

Along with these outward-facing changes, the 10.12.2 update includes several important bug fixes. A serious graphics issue that has been affecting some new MacBook Pro owners has been solved, and a bug that caused System Integrity Protection to be disabled, also impacting the new MacBook Pro, has been fixed. A full list of bug fixes and improvements is below:

- Improves setup and reliability of Auto Unlock
- Allows addition of a Chinese Trackpad Handwriting button to the Touch Bar Control Strip
- Adds support for taking screenshots of the Touch Bar using the Grab app or Cmd-Shift-6 shortcut
- Fixes an issue that caused the Touch Bar emoji picker to appear on the display
- Resolves graphics issues on MacBook Pro (October 2016) computers
- Fixes an issue where System Integrity Protection was disabled on some MacBook Pro (October 2016) computers
- Improves setup and opt-out experience for iCloud Desktop and Documents
- Fixes an issue with the delivery of Optimized Storage alerts
- Improves audio quality when using Siri and FaceTime with Bluetooth headphones
- Improves the stability of Photos when creating and ordering books
- Fixes an issue where incoming Mail messages did not appear when using a Microsoft Exchange account
- Fixes an issue that prevented installation of Safari Extensions downloaded outside the Safari Extensions Gallery
- Adds support for new installations of Windows 8 and Windows 7 using Boot Camp on supported Macs

macOS Sierra is the latest Mac operating system. It includes Siri support, Apple Pay for the web, Universal Clipboard, Apple Watch auto unlocking, improved iCloud Drive integration, Picture-in-Picture multitasking, and dozens of smaller features that can be found in our macOS Sierra roundup.

Related Forum: macOS Sierra

Apple has announced AirPods will be available for purchase at Apple Stores, authorized resellers, and select carriers next week, providing customers who did not quickly pre-order with a chance to buy the wireless earphones before the end of the year. Apple said stores will receive "regular AirPods shipments."

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AirPods launched on Apple's website earlier today for $159. The all-new wireless earphones had an initial delivery estimate of around December 21 for many customers in the United States, but that date quickly slipped, and Apple is now quoting "4 weeks" for orders yet to be placed on its U.S. storefront.

AirPods are also estimated to ship in 4 weeks in Canada, where they are priced at $219. In Australia ($229) and the United Kingdom (£159), customers can still get earlier December 19 delivery as of the time this article was published. In Singapore, customers can get AirPods delivered by December 22 for $238.

In the Eurozone, AirPods cost €179. In Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, customers face a two-week wait for AirPods. Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Japan also have 2-week estimates. In Hong Kong, it is 4 weeks. AirPods are available in more than 100 countries overall.

Related Roundup: AirPods 4
Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Neutral)
Related Forum: AirPods

Snapchat has gained Shazam's music recognizing abilities in its camera screen, which Shazam says is an even easier way to discover new songs and send each one to friends as Snaps. To use the new feature, all users have to do is press and hold anywhere on the Snapchat camera screen when music is playing nearby to begin the Shazam process. From there they can dig deeper into more info about the song and artists thanks to a new Shazam card, and send the recommendation to friends.

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Today, Snapchat also announced a new group chat feature that the company says is meant to help family members stay in touch over the holidays. Up to 16 people can join in on the group message, and each one will be deleted after 24 hours, just like Snapchat's normal Stories section. Names of every participant are listed at the bottom of the window, so users can also tap one and jump into a one-on-one chat at any time.

Groups can be created while sending a Snap, or when you’re making a new Chat. When your friends are present in a Group Chat, we show their name at the bottom of the Chat. Simply tap their name to start a 1:1 Chat, and then easily return to the Group in one swipe! We call this Quick Chat, and it’s the fastest way to keep the conversation going with one friend without spamming the entire Group.

Two new "Creative Tools" will allow Snapchatters to create stickers from their own Snaps, using Scissors on the Preview Screen to cut a section of a picture out and turning it into a reusable sticker. A new Paintbrush tool will be available in the Memories section of the app and Snapchat says it "turns a Snap into an artistic masterpiece."

The update is available now for the iOS Snapchat app. [Direct Link]

Adobe has released an updated version of Photoshop CC 2017 for Mac with support for the Touch Bar on the new MacBook Pro, providing users with access to controls based on three categories: Layer Properties, Brushes, and Favorites.

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Photoshop's implementation includes a History Scrubber to jump to any recent state of a document created during the current session. Each time a user applies a change to the document, a new document state is added. Users can scroll through or tap thumbnails on the Touch Bar to navigate the document history.

Touch Bar functions for Layer Properties include adjusting the layer opacity and visibility, scrolling through available blending modes, and making a layer a clipping mask. For brushes, users can use the Touch Bar to pick a color, brush size, brush hardness, brush opacity, and brush flow.

Favorites includes a Screen Mode for toggling between the normal screen mode and full screen mode, and controls for invoking the New Layer command and flipping layers horizontally or vertically. Meanwhile, a Fill Mode control invokes the Fill command with the Content-Aware Fill option preselected.

Photoshop design manager Bradee Evans demoed the Touch Bar features at Apple's new MacBook Pro event in October. Skip to the 52:30 mark.


Photoshop users can update to the latest version using the Adobe CC Updater. Adobe says Touch Bar support is a "technology preview," meaning the feature is not considered "production-ready" but nonetheless is available for users to try out.

Following the release of watchOS 3.1.1 yesterday afternoon, a few early-installers of the latest operating system for the Apple Watch have found that their devices become bricked during the update process. Users in the MacRumors forums, email tipsters, and quite a few Redditors have begun reporting a red exclamation mark on their Apple Watch's screen that guides them to www.apple.com/help/watch.

Most have discovered they now need to send the device back to Apple so it can be replaced because Apple retail locations can't service the problem in-store. To fix the issue, the Apple Watch has to be restored through the device's small diagnostic port, which Apple Stores don't cover.

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Image via Redditor Moust4ki

The majority of users appear to be using an Apple Watch Series 2, and issues first began with reports of the watchOS 3.1.1 update getting stuck on the circular progress bar. A few bricking cases appear to be because some users were force-restarting the Apple Watch during the update process because of the progress bar being stuck in one place for upwards of a few hours. However, most cases appear to lack a specific reason as to why the Apple Watch bricked during the update, with those users reporting not having touched or interacted with the device while it was charging and updating.

Now, users affected by bricked Apple Watches can either visit an Apple Store so the location can ship off the device to be replaced by a new Apple Watch, or they can visit Apple's support site to begin the exchange process and ship it off themselves. The Series 0 and Series 1 Apple Watches appear to have gotten through the watchOS 3.1.1 update with less of a hassle, although some admitted the update did "take a long time" and needed to be installed twice in one case.

Apple has yet to address the watchOS 3.1.1 bricking issue, but it should be noted that there are also plenty of Series 2 owners who have made it out the other side of the update without any problems. Still, if you're concerned about a potential bricked Apple Watch, it appears that the best course of action is to stay on a version of watchOS of 3.1 or below for the time being. Yesterday, Apple also released iOS 10.2 and tvOS 10.1, both introducing the all-new TV app to users.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

apple-chargerNearly two months after filing a lawsuit against a firm selling counterfeit Apple power adapters and Lightning cables on Amazon, Apple has updated its website to advise customers to beware of counterfeit parts.

Apple warns some counterfeit and third-party power adapters and batteries could pose safety risks, and recommends customers visit an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider for genuine parts.

Beware of counterfeit parts

Some counterfeit and third party power adapters and batteries may not be designed properly and could result in safety issues.

To ensure you receive a genuine Apple battery during a battery replacement, we recommend visiting an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider. If you need a replacement adapter to charge your Apple device, we recommend getting an Apple power adapter.

As revealed in its lawsuit against counterfeiter Mobile Star LLC, Apple found almost 90% of so-called "genuine" Apple products and accessories it purchased from Amazon in a nine-month period were actually counterfeit. U.S. certification company UL later found 99% of fake Apple chargers sold online fail basic safety tests.

Following the lawsuit, an Amazon spokesperson informed MacRumors it has "zero tolerance for the sale of counterfeits" on its website. "We work closely with manufacturers and brands, and pursue wrongdoers aggressively."

Amazon reportedly plans to crack down on counterfeit products sold through its website next year by creating a registry to prevent fake goods from being listed for sale. Apple could sign up for the registry, for example, and merchants would then have to obtain official brand permission before they can sell products and accessories.

Apple has updated its website to indicate its all-new BeatsX wireless earphones will be available in February in the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, and several other countries, after originally saying they would launch in the Fall. Online pre-orders can still not be placed at this time.

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BeatsX earphones feature Bluetooth and the same Apple W1 chip used by AirPods, which launched today, enabling users to pair them by simply powering them on and holding them near an iPhone. Unlike the truly wireless AirPods, the BeatsX have a Flex-Form cable that keeps the earpieces tethered to each other.

BeatsX deliver up to 8 hours of battery life on a single charge. With Fast Fuel, a 5-minute charge gives users 2 hours of playback. An in-line Remote and Mic allows for users to take calls, control music playback, and activate Siri. BeatsX cost $149.95 and come in black or white with a pocket-sized carrying case.

The confirmation comes just a few days after Apple reseller B&H Photo Video said BeatsX earphones would be delayed for at least 2-3 months, which indeed suggested availability in February or March.

Apple has already released updated Beats Solo3 Wireless and Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless headphones with the Apple W1 chip.

Apple's AirPods are now available to order from the company's online store for $159.00, following weeks of speculation on exactly when the wireless headphones would launch. Originally, the AirPods were going to debut in "late October," but Apple delayed the launch for unspecified reasons.

In the official press release, Apple mentioned that the AirPods will begin arriving at Apple retail stores, Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers beginning sometime next week. Shipment will begin in "limited quantities" at launch, and Apple encourages customers to continue checking its online store for updates on availability and shipping estimates.

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Now, users can order the Bluetooth-enabled headphones, which provide up to 5 hours of music playback and high-quality sound through a "seamless and automatic connection" between the AirPods and an iPhone. To charge the AirPods, the included travel case doubles as a charging station that provides up to 24 hours of battery life for the headphones.

AirPods introduce an effortless wireless listening experience packed with high-quality audio and long battery life. These magical wireless headphones use advanced technology to reinvent how we listen to music, make phone calls, enjoy TV shows and movies, play games and interact with Siri, providing a wireless audio experience not possible before.

The new W1 chip inside the AirPods allows for seamless connection with devices in Apple's ecosystem, so that they connect instantly whenever the rechargeable battery case is flipped open near an iOS device. When in the user's ears, the AirPods "know when you are listening" and will subsequently pause music when they're taken out of an ear. Playback controls are left to Siri-enabled voice commands, which are brought up by double-tapping on the buds.

Included with the AirPods is a Lightning cable used to charge the carrying case, and the headphones require Apple devices running iOS 10, watchOS 3 or macOS Sierra. Buy your own AirPods now at Apple.com for $159.00. Deliveries are currently estimated to begin arriving on December 21 in the United States.

Update 7:16 AM: Delivery estimates in the U.S. have slipped to December 29.

Update 7:30 AM: Delivery estimates in the U.S. have now slipped to "4 weeks."

Related Roundup: AirPods 4
Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Neutral)
Related Forum: AirPods

A new ranking by Bloomberg today has listed "The World's Best-Value CEOs" in order of how well their yearly salaries align with their performance at each company. In total, 100 CEOs of companies from around the world -- including Apple, Alphabet, Verizon, and China Mobile -- were placed in the ranking to determine which organizations "are getting the best value from their CEO."

According to the list, Apple has the eleventh-most-valuable CEO with Tim Cook, whose latest reported pay of around $10.3 million is "a bargain" when compared to Apple's three-year average economic profit of $22.6 billion. Cook's pay is broken down into a salary of $2 million, non-equity incentive plan of $8 million, and "other" compensation of $281,327. Not part of his base salary, Cook netted over 1.2 million Apple shares worth over $130 million upon reaching his fifth anniversary as CEO on August 24, 2011.

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Cook's lower compensation in comparison to other CEOs, along with his performance at Apple, have earned him the spot near the top of Bloomberg's chart. The rankings included companies with market capitalizations of $1 billion or higher, and each CEO had to have served three or more fiscal years to be considered.

Are chief executive officers worth their pay? Apple CEO Tim Cook's $10 million in compensation isn't chump change, but it's a bargain when you compare that to the company's massive average economic profit over the last three years. Other companies pay their CEOs much more, but seem to get a lot less for it. Bloomberg looked at the pay-for-performance ratio of 100 CEOs at some of the largest companies around the world to see which companies are getting the best value from their CEO.

In the number one spot is Kosta Kartsotis of Fossil Group, who has waived compensation completely on an average three-year economic profit of $147 million for the company. Alphabet's Larry Page is in 3rd, Verizon Communication's Lowell McAdam is in 14th, and AT&T's Randall Stephenson is in 65th. Check out Bloomberg's full rankings of The World's Best-Value CEOs right here.

Amid rumors suggesting Apple plans to debut a 2017 iPhone with an edge-to-edge display with built-in Touch ID, Synaptics has announced its own under-glass fingerprint detection solution, debuting a new line of Natural ID FS9100 optical fingerprint sensors.

The FS9100 sensors are capable of scanning a fingerprint through 1mm of full cover glass, allowing for button-free display designs that are still able to take advantage of fingerprint recognition functionality.

According to Synaptics, the sensors have been specifically designed for placement under cover glass, including 2.5D glass, located in the front, bottom bezel of smartphones and tablets.

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The FS9100 sensors eliminate the need for cutouts on the display of a device, and because they're under glass, they're scratchproof, waterproof, and respond well to wet fingers. Wet finger performance is something that causes most fingerprint sensors, including Apple's, to fail.

Synaptics says its sensors are also designed to be thin and consume a minimal amount of power, while also using AI to distinguish between fake and actual fingers.

"Synaptics' FS9100 family of fingerprint sensors represent a new breed of optical fingerprint sensor technology that is designed to meet the needs of mobile devices, including the ability to image through thick 2.5D glass. In addition to opening the door to new industrial design options, it enables OEMs to provide highly durable, button-free cover glass and more easily provide water resistant products while eliminating low yield glass processing." - Synaptics VP of marketing Anthony Gioeli

Apple likely has its own proprietary solution in the works for the display of the 2017 iPhone 8 because it has been in development for some time and is said to have in-house engineers working on the product, but Synaptics is a known Apple supplier and provided Apple with LCD display drivers in 2015 following its acquisition of Renesas SP Drivers, a chip company Synaptics purchased in 2014.

If the rumors are true, Apple's iPhone 8 will include a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, a camera, and other components that are located behind the display of the device, entirely eliminating the existing home button and allowing for an iPhone that looks like a single piece of glass.

Other rumors for the iPhone 8 suggest it will include a glass body, an OLED display, a faster A11 processor, and wireless charging functionality.

Synaptics' optical fingerprint sensors are scheduled to begin sampling during the first quarter of 2017, with production to begin in the second quarter of the year.

Monster chasing phenomenon Pokémon GO is finally coming to India, it was announced today (via Mashable). 4G LTE carrier Reliance Jio has partnered with Niantic, publisher and developer of Pokémon GO, to bring the hit game to the country on Wednesday.

The partnership will see thousands of Reliance Digital Stores and other affiliated premises become PokéStops and gyms, where players are most likely to discover the game's iconic characters.

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"It’s exciting to see Pokémon fans in India step out and explore their neighbourhoods in search of Pokémon and Jio’s disruptive high speed 4G LTE Network will be an excellent way to experience the game,” said John Hanke, CEO and founder of Niantic in a press statement.

Since its debut on iOS in July, Pokémon GO has been downloaded 500 million times. Despite the game not being available in India during that time, many fans in the country force-installed the game to join in the global phenomenon.

Niantic updated the game yesterday with new characters, introducing Togepi, Pichu, and other select Pokémon that were originally found in Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver.