Samsung today announced that an update to its now-infamous line of Galaxy Note7 smartphones will render the remaining devices within the United States useless, as a means to further ensure the safety of its customers who still own the malfunctioning smartphone.
Even though "more than 93 percent of all recalled Galaxy Note7 devices" have been returned, Samsung's December 19 update will ensure no more danger befalls one of its customers. The update will prevent the ability to charge the smartphone -- which led to fires this fall -- and in total "eliminate their ability to work as mobile devices."
Consumer safety remains our highest priority and we’ve had overwhelming participation in the U.S. Note7 Refund and Exchange Program so far, with more than 93 percent of all recalled Galaxy Note7 devices returned. To further increase participation, a software update will be released starting on December 19th that will prevent U.S. Galaxy Note7 devices from charging and will eliminate their ability to work as mobile devices.
In today's press release the company also announced that it's expanded the recall of Galaxy Note7 smartphones, both original and troublesome replacement devices, thanks to cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and carriers and retailers across the country. Consumers can still either replace their Note7 with another Samsung phone, or receive a refund.
Samsung officially recalled the Galaxy Note7 devices in early September after multiple accounts of users experiencing exploding batteries and fires originating from the smartphone. A month later it halted sales of the device worldwide, a move that was reported in October to cost the company around $2.3 billion.
Nomad has been a well-known third-party Apple accessory manufacturer for a few years, creating leather cases for iPhones and iPads, Apple Watch bands, and battery packs that integrate directly into charging cables. The company's newest product is the $99.95 Nomad Advanced Trackable PowerPack, a 9,000 mAh mobile battery that is built with Nomad's usual "ultra-rugged construction," with an added bonus of Tile integration so users don't have to worry about misplacing the PowerPack.
Design
The PowerPack is created out of a durable, polycarbonate frame that Nomad says is inspired by the manufacturing processes found in industry-leading, drop-resistant iPhone cases. Living up to the company's adventure-focused mission statement, the PowerPack has an added layer of thermoplastic polyurethane, which gives the PowerPack its ultra-rugged, grippy feel.
The quality of Nomad's PowerPack is the accessory's first noticeable advantage: the raised texture that houses most of the pack is satisfying to grip, and the smooth section in the center -- with the Nomad logo -- provides a natural groove to place a thumb when handling the PowerPack. The downside of the texture is that it is definitely a dust and debris magnet, as can be seen in the pictures I took for the review, which represent the cleanest state I could get it in.
For ports, the device comes with two fast-charging 3.0A USB-C ports (one to charge the PowerPack, one to charge a separate device), and one 2.4A USB-A port that supports all of the standard-issue USB charge cables that come with most smartphones and tablets. In the box, customers will get a USB-C to USB-A cable to recharge the PowerPack, but they will have to provide their own smartphone charging cables.
In between the three ports is an LED indicator that uses three dots to display battery levels of the PowerPack's 9,000 mAh battery, with a button underneath to bring the LEDs to life, and on the very right of the pack's front is a button to sync with the Tile app. The opposite side of the PowerPack is coated with a glossy black surface, and its underside has the usual model number readouts and device information.
Performance
The battery performance of Nomad's PowerPack proved to be reliable over the weekend as I tested it out. Starting at around an average of 21 percent battery life on my iPhone 6s Plus, the PowerPack topped off the iPhone to the mid-90 percent range three full times. The PowerPack finally died mid-way through the fourth charge (my iPhone climbing from 20 percent to 45 percent), meaning that Nomad's promise of 3.5 charges is pretty much exact.
The 2.4 amps of the USB-A port means that the iPhone also charges a bit faster than Apple's current 1A iPhone charger. It's more along the lines of charging an iPhone with an iPad's wall charger, which are up to 2.4A with the newest generation of Apple's tablets.
Nomad's advertising is for the iPhone 7, but the slight difference in battery capacities should mean that the PowerPack performs comparatively for iPhone 7 owners as it did for me. For comparison's sake, the iPhone 6s Plus has a 2,750 mAh battery, while the iPhone 7 Plus has a 2,900 mAh battery. For the 4.7-inch models, the iPhone 6s has a 1,715 mAh battery and the iPhone 7 has a 1,960 mAh battery. Suffice it to say that any owners of the smaller-screen iPhones will have plenty of opportunities for recharging their devices to capacity, while iPhone 7 Plus users should eke out exactly 3 full charges from Nomad's PowerPack.
My only real complaint with the PowerPack's design is that it's sometimes cumbersome to judge the battery level when multiple cables are sticking out of the pack. At one point I had both a USB and USB-C cable plugged into the PowerPack, and having to angle everything to tap the battery level button became quite finicky. Although the innards of the PowerPack's design most likely excuse every port and button being located on one panel, having at least the LED on the opposite side of the case would have made the PowerPack more user-friendly.
In regards to USB-C charging, the only relevant device I own is an early-2015 MacBook, which isn't exactly in the target group of products compatible with the PowerPack's 9,000 mAh battery capacity. Nomad says that with the growing adoption of USB-C, the PowerPack will work "well into the future," but many Android smartphones out now could use the port, including Google's Pixel Phone. There's also the option of purchasing a USB-C to Lightning cable, which Apple sells, to turn the PowerPack into a dual-charging iPhone system.
A smaller, but admittedly useful feature is called AmbientIQ and it reads the light levels of wherever the user is currently located, and adjusts the battery LEDs appropriately. This way battery life can be confirmed in bright sunlight or, to Nomad's point, remain at low levels in a dimly lit room while the PowerPack is charging at night (the LEDs remain on constantly while the pack charges, but otherwise turn on at user discretion while out and about). As someone who has come to figure out crafty ways to block out the electronic lights of everything from my router to my television's HDMI splitter, the PowerPack's included AmbientIQ solution was useful and welcome.
Tile
For those who haven't heard of Tile, the company's line of small, Bluetooth-enabled tracking devices lets users easily find misplaced keys, backpacks, laptops, tablets, and more. Tile sells the Tile Mate as the main keychain accessory and Tile Slim for wallets and laptop cases, and now the Nomad PowerPack comes with Tile's integrated iPhone-connected tracking technology. Because of its integration into Nomad's rechargeable pack, users also won't have to worry about Tile's "reTile" program, which offers discounts on the trackers when they lose battery after about a year.
I had never used Tile before testing the PowerPack, and I've come to enjoy the Bluetooth-tracking system, although there are some hurdles to its setup. Out of the box, the PowerPack refused to sync with the iOS Tile app, which I eventually remedied by juicing up the PowerPack from its low battery shipping state. Even with a full charge, it still took a few tries, but my iPhone eventually recognized the PowerPack and began tracking it.
The Tile app works by presenting each Tile in a list, which can be expanded with a map view showing all of the last known locations of the trackers. Users can "ring" each Tile when they get near it -- sort of like how Apple Watch can blast a connected iPhone when it's lost -- and also use a circular grid that fills up when they're hot on the Tile's trail, and loses segments as they get colder.
I'm not one to continually misplace my electronics, but in the week I've been using the PowerPack and Tile I've come to enjoy the backup safety net that the latter company offers with its partnership with Nomad. The circular tracking feature is neat and largely accurate, and the loud ringtones (five are available to choose from) are clear and distinct. If I were to ever misplace the PowerPack, I'm confident Tile would help greatly in recovering it, battery levels of the PowerPack permitting.
Bottom Line
The biggest drawback of the PowerPack is its $99.95 price tag, which is likely raised due to the integration with Tile. Around that battery capacity range, there are a few low-cost alternatives by companies like Anker, which sells a 10,000 mAh battery pack for $49.99 (although it's discounted to as low as around $20 now). Users willing to spend $100 can also get much more capacity from Mophie, a popular battery pack and smartphone case manufacturer, which sells the Powerstation XXL at the same price as the PowerPack for double the capacity at 20,000 mAh.
If you're not someone who consistently finds themselves losing electronics, then Tile's services, while noble and mostly functional, can feel superfluous. Those users should probably look elsewhere for a more bang-for-your-buck battery pack option. However, if Bluetooth tracking is a legitimately enticing addition to a mobile battery in your eyes, the Nomad PowerPack is a dependable solution, and could end up being a lifesaver for some.
Pros - Charges 5.5-inch iPhone ~3X, 4.7-inch iPhone ~5X - Durable, grippy construction - AmbientIQ - Tile will be useful for some
Cons - On the other hand, Tile will be pointless for others - High price for middle-tier capacity - Slightly cluttered port side
Where to Buy
The Nomad PowerPack can be purchased from hellonomad.com for $99.95, with current orders estimated to begin shipping after Christmas on December 30.
Wall Street brokerage firm Drexel Hamilton today informed its clients it continues to believe Apple is "one of the most underappreciated stocks in the world," according to a research note seen by MacRumors.
Apple analyst Brian White retained his "buy" rating for AAPL and $185 price target. Apple shares are currently trading at around $114, their highest level since late October, after rising over 1% in intraday trading.
White said Apple continues to face a never-ending waterfall of "gloom and doom" media reports, just months after launching the new MacBook Pro and iPhone 7.
Nevertheless, he looks forward to 2017, when he believes Apple will have a "more durable iPhone cycle" that can return the company to more consistent sales growth after threeconsecutivequarterly declines.
Given this weak stock performance over the past couple of years, and our expectation of a more durable iPhone cycle that can return the company to more consistent sales growth, we look forward to 2017. In the near-term, we look for Tim Cook to make Apple grow again in [the first quarter of the 2017 fiscal year] on the back of the iPhone 7 and a happy holiday season, while we look forward increased cash distribution in 2017 [and] the launch of iPhone 8 and more color on future innovations.
Drexel Hamilton said Apple's stock has risen by 7% this year, trailing the 10% overall increase in stocks among the S&P 500 Index.
MacBook Pro models with Touch Bar aren't on sale, but Best Buy is discounting the 2016 13-inch MacBook Pro without a Touch Bar by $100, making it available for $1,399.99, down from $1,499.99.
When purchasing an iPhone 7 with an installment billing agreement, Best Buy is offering a $100 Best Buy gift card with purchase for upgrades, and $200 for new activations. Best Buy is also discounting the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, offering them for as little as $14.99 or $19.99 per month, respectively.
Accessories such as the new Apple TV, AirPort Express, iPods, and Beats headphone and speakers are also on sale.
Best Buy's deals will be available on Friday, December 9 and Saturday, December 10.
A court in Denmark today ruled Apple must replace a Danish man's iPhone with a new model rather than a refurbished model in accordance with local law.
(Image: The Sydney Morning Herald)
A trio of judges found Apple was not entitled to replace David Lysgaard's iPhone 4 with a refurbished model since it may contain recycled parts, which could result in a lower resale value and went against his "legitimate expectation" of receiving a brand new iPhone equivalent to his original purchase.
By providing Lysgaard with a refurbished iPhone, rather than an equivalent new model, the court found Apple to have violated the Danish Sale of Goods Act. The judges upheld an earlier decision reached by Denmark's Consumer Complaints Board, which also said the replacement should be a new, not refurbished, model.
Apple disagreed with the Consumer Complaints Board's decision in 2014 and sued Lysgaard, arguing that refurbished iPhones are produced and tested in the same way as new iPhones. Apple also said refurbished iPhones undergo rigorous tests and strict quality control. Apple can now appeal the judgment with a higher court.
Earlier this year, a Dutch court similarly ordered Apple to replace a woman's iPhone 6 Plus with a new model, not a refurbished one.
Shigeru Miyamoto has confirmed that Nintendo's upcoming iPhone game Super Mario Run will require an always-on internet connection to play, which Miyamoto said is "a requirement that's been built into the game to support security." The security element is one of the big reasons why the company decided to launch on iPhone first, Miyamoto said, and it helps the game's three separate modes function together while always keeping the software secure and safe, preventing piracy in the process (via Mashable).
Creating a standalone "World Tour" mode without the need for an internet connection was discussed, but the developers found that needing to reconnect to the internet when jumping back to the other two modes -- "Toad Rally" and "Kingdom Builder" -- complicated things. "And because those two modes are relying on the network save, we had to integrate the World Tour mode as well," Miyamoto said, through a translation by Nintendo's senior product marketing manager Bill Trinen.
I learned today that Super Mario Run requires an internet connection to play. What's the reason for that? Are there any thoughts about an offline mode?
For us, we view our software as being a very important asset for us. And also for consumers who are purchasing the game, we want to make sure that we're able to offer it to them in a way that the software is secure, and that they're able to play it in a stable environment.
We wanted to be able to leverage that network connection with all three of the [Super Mario Run] modes to keep all of the modes functioning together and offering the game in a way that keeps the software secure. This is something that we want to continue to work on as we continue to develop the game.
When asked specifically what the company's concerns were about security on mobile devices, Miyamoto confirmed the risk of piracy facing Super Mario Run since it's not launching on a dedicated Nintendo console. "We're launching in 150 countries and each of those countries has different network environments and things like that," Miyamoto said. "So it was important for us to be able to have it secure for all users."
Super Mario Run is now under a week away from launch, with its debut coming next Thursday, December 15. The rest of Mashable's interview with Miyamoto can be read here.
Microsoft has announced that Cortana for iOS is coming to the U.K. and that the company is readying a significant design overhaul based on user feedback.
Cortana is to Windows what Siri is to macOS, but Microsoft's voice-activated virtual assistant has been available on iOS in the United States for precisely a year now, allowing PC users with Apple devices to sync their reminders, notifications and so on between the two platforms.
Reminders that Travel with You: Cortana has your back, seamlessly keeping track of the things you need to remember across all the platforms you use her. Set a reminder on your PC and get it on your mobile phone.
Never Miss a Phone Call: In a meeting and can’t answer your phone? With the Cortana app, get a missed call alert on your Windows 10 PC and let Cortana send a text back letting them know you’ll call them later – all without leaving your PC.
Optimized for Mobile: Designed specifically for your mobile life with quick action buttons and voice to get what you need quickly, a streamlined design and widgets for Android and iOS.
Along with the iOS app's imminent U.K. debut, Microsoft took the opportunity to announce an upcoming overhaul for Cortana on mobile that replaces the existing design with a cleaner, simpler interface, and introduces quick actions for putting frequently used functions front and center. Checking things like calendars, news, and weather, and setting and viewing reminders will become accessible with a tap on the main screen.
As well as clearer full-page answers to queries, Microsoft says the updated Cortana app will also be significantly faster. Cortana for iOS is a free download for iPhone and iPad. Microsoft wasn't clear about when exactly Cortana will be making its way to the U.K. App Store, but the redesigned app is said to be arriving on both sides of the Atlantic "in the coming weeks".
Microsoft yesterday released an iPad version of popular Office diagramming and graphic app Visio. The iOS incarnation is limited to viewing Visio documents, leaving the editing of files to the desktop application, and instead focuses on bringing a touch-based browsing experience with intuitive pan and zoom features to users on the go.
Visio diagrams often comprise details that customers could miss on smaller screens. Built for iPad Retina display, Visio Viewer for iPad brings high-fidelity viewing of real-world processes and plans on the go. With the new exploration experience, plant managers can zoom in to production line issues from remote facilities, financial advisors can examine detailed workflows of a loan approval process while visiting clients around the world, retail district managers can conduct store management trainings with associates using detailed CAD-based store layouts and much more.
Visio Viewer for iPad can import documents from OneDrive, SharePoint, and email, with a search functionality built in to the interface for finding shape names, text, or data. Users are also granted the ability to adjust the visibility of different layers to reveal more structure in plans and diagrams.
Visio is a free download for iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]
Google has issued an update to its recently redesigned Gmail app for iOS that brings a few notable changes to email composition and management on mobile devices.
In version 5.0.7, an option in the Settings panel lets users select their favorite browser (Safari or Chrome) for opening links in emails.
Users are now also able to select multiple messages in their inbox by tapping on the sender's profile image or icon next to the email, while messages can be marked as read or unread by selecting the email and tapping the 'open/closed envelope' icon in the top toolbar.
In addition, it's now possible to edit quoted content when replying to a message, and to copy and paste rich text content in a message.
Gmail is a free download on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. [Direct Link]
The United States Federal Trade Commission today announced that it is giving more than $88 million in refunds to 2.7 million AT&T customers who had unauthorized third-party charges added to their service bills, something better known as "mobile cramming."
The refunds come from a $105 million settlement AT&T paid the FTC back in October of 2014, after the carrier was accused of allowing third-party companies to bill customers for things like ringtone subscriptions without their consent. Money was also collected from Tatto and Acquinity, two companies involved in the cramming scheme.
Nearly 2.5 million AT&T customers can expect to receive a credit on their bill within the next 75 days, and over 300,000 former customers will be given refund checks. The FTC says the average refund amount customers will receive is $31, and checks are going out starting today.
"AT&T received a high volume of complaints related to mobile cramming prior to the FTC and other federal and state agencies stepping in on consumers' behalf," said FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. "I am pleased that consumers are now being refunded their money and that AT&T has changed its mobile billing practices."
According to the FTC, the AT&T refunds being provided to customers represent the most money that's ever been returned to consumers in a mobile cramming case.
Up until late 2014, AT&T and several third-party companies were charging customers up to $9.99 per month for subscriptions that provided sham services like ringtones, horoscopes, love tips, and more, with AT&T keeping 35 percent of the money that was taken from its subscribers.
Other mobile carriers, such as T-Mobile, had similar cramming practices. Back in December of 2014, T-Mobile agreed to pay out $90 million in fines.
Recently, AT&T also agreed to pay out an additional $7.75 million for a separate issue that allowed scammers to charge AT&T customers $9 per month for a fake directory service.
Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming macOS Sierra 10.12.2 update to developers and public beta testers, a few days after releasing the fifth 10.12.2 beta and over a month after the public release of macOS 10.12.1.
macOS Sierra 10.12.2 beta 6 is available for download through the Apple Developer Center or through the software update mechanism in the Mac App Store.
macOS Sierra 10.12.2 includes new emoji, introducing Unicode 9 characters like clown face, selfie, face palm, fox face, owl, shark, butterfly, avocado, bacon, and more, plus many profession emoji are available in both male and female genders.
Apple has also updated the artwork on many existing emoji characters, adding detail to make them look less cartoonish and more realistic. New wallpapers are also included in macOS Sierra 10.12.2, introducing the color explosion options that were previously used in iPhone marketing materials.
There are few other outward-facing changes aside from the addition of new emoji and wallpapers, but the 10.12.2 update also includes some important bug fixes. A serious graphics issue that has been affecting some new MacBook Pro owners has been solved, and a Time Machine crashing issue, also impacting the new MacBook Pro, has been fixed.
Available since September, 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.
Electric vehicle charging network ChargePoint today announced a new partnership with Apple that sees its electric vehicle charging stations listed within Apple Maps.
Drivers can click on new Electric Vehicle Charger badges in Apple Maps to get directions to charging stations, find hours of operation, and get details on pricing.
When at a ChargePoint charging station, iPhone users can start the charging process, pay for the charge, and see other station details through a Maps link that leads to the ChargePoint app. ChargePoint operates over 31,100 charging stations and has delivered more than 19,400,000 charges to electric vehicle owners.
Rumors last month suggested Apple Music rival Spotify was in advanced talks to acquire audio distribution platform SoundCloud, but it appears discussions have ended after Spotify pulled out of the deal.
According to TechCrunch, though months of talks took place, Spotify ultimately decided not to purchase SoundCloud because of worries the acquisition would negatively impact its impending IPO.
Spotify hasn't officially said it will go public in 2017, but there has been plenty of speculation, including a funding round with incentives tied to a listing. The source said Spotify went cold on SoundCloud because "it doesn't need an additional licensing headache in a potential IPO year."
SoundCloud, which allows users to upload, promote, and share audio recordings, would have allowed Spotify to add user-created content to its own music catalog, but Spotify would have needed to deal with licensing issues, something it did not want to do ahead of an IPO.
SoundCloud has upwards of 175 million total listeners a month, while Spotify has 40 million paying subscribers. Apple Music, Spotify's main competitor, has been gaining subscribers steadily and as of December 2016, boasts 20 million subscribers.
Apple CEO Tim Cook will deliver the 2017 Commencement address at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the university announced today.
"Mr. Cook's brilliance as a business leader, his genuineness as a human being, and his passion for issues that matter to our community make his voice one that I know will resonate deeply with our graduates," MIT President L. Rafael Reif says. "I am delighted that he will join us for Commencement and eagerly await his charge to the Class of 2017."
In a statement, Cook said he was looking forward to speaking to MIT's graduating class in 2017. The Commencement will take place on Friday, June 9.
"Apple stands at the intersection of liberal arts and technology, and we're proud to have many outstanding MIT graduates on our team," Cook says. "We believe deeply that technology can be a powerful force for good, and I'm looking forward to speaking to the Class of 2017 as they look ahead to making their own mark on the world."
Apple shared some updated photos and information on its spaceship-shaped second campus with employees, which French site MacGeneration managed to get a hold of. The photos give a detailed view of the exterior building, and give us one of our first glimpses at its interior.
Apple Campus 2 has been in development for more than two years, and is nearing its completion date. We've seen a series of monthly drone videos cataloguing progress at the site, and as of December, much of the main ring-shaped building is finished, with Apple now working on landscaping.
Just recently, Apple installed the glass panels for the atrium of the main building, which will be used as a cafeteria for employees. Along with the cafeteria, there will be vast outdoor eating spaces covered with greenery native to California.
The floor-to-ceiling doors of the atrium are each made from 10 glass pieces and are similar to the giant glass doors that were introduced in Apple's San Francisco Apple Store. The doors open an entire side of the building to let in light and air for an outdoor feel.
To install the doors, Apple has used cranes outfitted with suction cups to hold the glass in place while it's secured into the building.
The ceiling of the ring-shaped building is equipped with a series of skylights that will let in natural light, while cutouts in marble walls will house speakers in some areas. Close attention has been paid to the smallest of details, and Apple says in just one access tunnel, it's taken 60 workers five months to lay small tiles on the curved walls. Ledges extending out over windows block light, as do built-in window shades.
Outside, full-sized trees and other plants are being installed. Ahead of being added to the campus, many of the trees were grown at a local nursery. Apple has said more than 3,000 species of trees will be on the campus, including many fruit trees.
Apple plans to finish construction on the campus in the first quarter of 2017, though landscaping work will extend into the second quarter of the year. Apple CEO Tim Cook has said employees will begin working at the campus in early 2017.
The Commission said it is determined to put an end to roaming charges commonly billed by carriers when a customer calls, sends messages, or uses data on their mobile device while abroad in the European Union, outside of their primary country of residence, subject to proportionate checks for abusive usage.
European regulators have proposed a "Roam like at Home" solution that would allow travelers to call, text, and browse the web on their mobile devices when abroad in the European Union for no extra charge than the price they pay at home. It is not intended to be used for permanent roaming.
"Roam like at Home" is aimed at people who travel in the European Union for work or leisure. "They spend more time at home than they do abroad, and they make most of their calls, texts and use data in their home country," the Commission explained.
Example: with his €70 per month contract, Tim living in Netherlands gets unlimited calls, texts and data for his smartphone. When he travels abroad on holidays, he will have unlimited calls and text. For data, he will get twice the equivalent of €70 worth of data at the wholesale roaming data price cap, i.e. 0.85 cent/MB according to the Commission wholesale proposal, meaning more than 16 GB in this case. While roaming, he will get twice the volume he has paid for.
The latest draft further clarifies consumer rights, such as ensuring that customers abusing a carrier's roaming policy are not subject to over-intrusive background checks and establishing a minimum alert period of 14 days before roaming charges can be imposed on customers who exceed fair usage.
The revised rules also introduce safeguards to ensure carriers remain competitive. Customers can be asked to prove they live or have "stable links" to a specific country before "Roam like at Home" is included in their contract, while those roaming excessively can be sent a warning message and/or small roaming charge.
If, over a 4-month period, billing data suggests that a consumer has been more abroad than at home, but also consumed more data while travelling in the European Union, the operator can send a warning message. This message will warn the consumers that they have two weeks to inform their operator about their travel situation, or to change their travel or use patterns. Only a very small roaming charge […] can then be applied.
The proposed surcharges for customers who exceed fair usage are €0.04/minute per call, €0.01 per SMS, and €0.0085 per MB of data usage.
The draft legislation has now been sent to representatives for each European Union member state, who will meet on December 12 to vote on the text. Afterwards, the European Commission will be able to adopt the rules.
EU member states include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
In September, the Commission said the European government agreed to its proposal to end roaming charges in Europe. This week, the Commission said it will be steadfast to ensure an agreement is reached as soon as possible.
Adobe today announced a new update out now for its Lightroom iOS and Android apps, bringing an all-new photo editing experience to mobile that improves the app's ease of use thanks to a new one-handed interface. To create an improved editing experience Adobe talked to professional and casual photographers, who helped hone Lightroom's new toolset.
First, the company has organized similar tools into relevant categories so it's faster and easier to find tools that are normally used together. The company's biggest priority was to introduce a system that was functional to operate with just one hand. As such, users can now see the entire image while editing it and have access to "often used tools," such as viewing before and after iterations of a photo, without needing a second hand.
Lightroom mobile 2.6 represents a significant evolution of editing on mobile devices. We wanted to improve the ability to quickly find and access tools and ensure the fastest way to enhance and edit images on a phone. Our design team reached out to photographers of all skill levels to help us figure out how people edit with Lightroom mobile, what’s missing, and how we could make it even better. This update represents our first release taking advantage of this research.
Lightroom for iPhone is also gaining a new info section so users can add in titles, captions, and copyright onto an image. A "professional mode" within the app's capture interface will let users set more granular controls over an image's exposure and focus so it's easier "to capture the shot you want." Lightroom for iPad is getting all of the iPhone app's updates except the new editing and info sections, but the company hopes to update the tablet app with these features "soon."
On the Mac, Lightroom is gaining a "reference view" in the Develop Module that makes it simpler to compare two images side-by-side so you can make them visually consistent with one another. The company said this should help when trying to make a large amount of images from a single event aesthetically similar, or could help with "setting the white balance appropriately in mixed lighting conditions."
Pokémon Go recently announced that Sprint and Starbucks locations have officially been added into the game as Pokéstops and Gyms. The Sprint collaboration began yesterday with over 10,500 Sprint locations around the United States supporting the GPS-based game, including Sprint, Boost Mobile and Sprint at Radioshack stores. In-store charging stations are also being offered to players so they can keep playing the game longer.
Today, another U.S.-based collaboration will begin at 11 a.m. PST, where 7,800 Starbucks stores around the country will turn into Pokéstops and Gyms to entice players to visit the popular coffee shop more often. In celebration of the partnership, the company has also created a new Pokémon Go Frappuccino for customers to try out while they hunt Pokémon in the game.
By locating a Starbucks® store within Pokémon GO, players will discover the Pokémon GO Frappuccino® blended beverage. The Pokémon GO Frappuccino® starts with a Vanilla Bean Frappuccino® blended beverage and raspberry syrup blended with freeze dried whole blackberries and topped with whipped cream. It's the perfect treat for any Pokémon Trainer on the go.
The Pokémon GO Frappuccino® blended beverage will be available at participating Starbucks® stores for a limited time while supplies last.
The partnership news this week precedes a new generation of Pokémon coming to the game sometime soon. In the Sprint press release, Niantic CEO John Hanke teased fans and said to "keep an eye out on our social media channels on December 12th for details about the first addition of more Pokémon into Pokémon Go." The specific amount and generation of Pokémon that will be added to the game was not given, so fans will have to wait until next Monday to find out.
Wall Street brokerage firm Drexel Hamilton today informed its clients it continues to believe Apple is "one of the most underappreciated stocks in the world," according to a research note seen by MacRumors.
The United States Federal Trade Commission today 
Rumors last month suggested Apple Music rival Spotify was in advanced talks to 
Apple CEO Tim Cook will deliver the 2017 Commencement address at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the university 
