MacRumors

Following in the footsteps of Dashlane, popular password management app LastPass has also debuted a new "Auto-Password Change" feature that is designed to let users enable a setting for automatic password changes.

Introduced last week to the company's Pre-Build Team, the new Auto-Password Change in LastPass is now available for all beta users in Chrome, Safari, and Firefox at no charge.

According to LastPass, Auto-Password Change has been developed to help its users initiate frequent password changes following major security incidents like Heartbleed, an OpenSSL vulnerability that left hundreds of thousands of machines open to malcious attacks.

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We're excited to announce that the Auto-Password Change feature we released to our Pre-Build Team last week is now available for all users in beta. LastPass can now change passwords for you, automatically. We're releasing this feature for free to all our users, on Chrome, Safari, and Firefox (starting with version 3.1.70).

Maintaining your privacy and security is our top priority. That's why we're doing this differently. We've implemented this feature to make password changes locally on your machine, ensuring we stay true to our mission and never have access to your data. All of your sensitive information is encrypted on your computer before syncing, and your encryption key is never shared with LastPass.

Auto-Password Change supports 75 popular websites, like Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Pinterest, and Dropbox. In LastPass, users can turn on the feature by clicking "Edit" for a supported site and then clicking on "Change Password Automatically."

After choosing the password update option, LastPass will open a new tab, log into the site and create a new password, updating the information both on the site and within LastPass.

Earlier today, competing password management app Dashlane unveiled a similar "Password Changer" feature, which also allows users to implement easy password changes. Dashlane's new password changing functionality is somewhat more comprehensive than LastPass's password-by-password solution, as it can allow users to change all of their passwords with a single click.

LastPass is available for free on iOS and Mac with ads, but a $12 per year subscription gets rid of the ads, adds priority tech support, and multi-factor authentication. The browser extension can be downloaded from the LastPass website while the iOS app can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Earlier this year, Apple ceased using Google Maps for its Find My iPhone web app on the beta iCloud.com site in favor of its own Apple Maps, and as of today, the main iCloud.com site has also been updated to utilize an online version of Apple maps.

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Visiting Find My iPhone on iCloud.com will now display Maps rendered using Apple's own mapping engine, cutting out the company's final bit of reliance on Google Maps. Apple first began shifting away from Google Maps in 2012, when it introduced an in-house mapping solution.

Though iOS apps like Find My iPhone and Find My Friends began using Apple Maps data shortly after the release of iOS 6, iCloud.com has continued to use Google Maps data up until now.

Apple Maps was highly criticized for its inaccuracy and poor implementation at the time, but since 2012, Apple has made a vast number of improvements to the mapping service and continues to work to this day. Currently, Apple is said to be working on adding indoor mapping and transit features to Apple Maps with iOS 8, but internal politics have allegedly delayed the launch of Maps updates.

Following a few weeks of turmoil that saw Sony passing on Aaron Sorkin's upcoming Steve Jobs biopic and Universal quickly picking it up, The Wrap reports Jeff Daniels is being eyed to play former Apple CEO John Sculley in the film.

The Wrap claims "multiple individuals familiar with the Universal project" have said Daniels is being eyed for the Danny Boyle-directed movie, and "while Daniels does not have an official offer yet, one is expected to materialize soon, as he's considered Boyle's top choice for the key supporting role."

If it comes to fruition, it would be a reunion of sorts for Daniels and scribe Aaron Sorkin, both wrapping up The Newsroom's final season airing now on HBO.

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Image via The Wrap

Previously it was announced, following Christian Bale dropping out of the film, that Michael Fassbender is confirmed to star as Steve Jobs in the film alongside Seth Rogan as Steve Wozniak.

Though Natalie Portman was previously close to supposedly being cast in the film, she recently passed on the project.

Sorkin has been very forthright about the project and the planned structure of the movie, stating that the entire movie "is going to be three scenes, and take place in real-time." Each of the three scenes will take place backstage at the launch of three major product introductions by Jobs. The film is based on Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs biography released back in 2011.

Apple today released iOS 8.1.2 to the public, introducing bug fixes and addressing an issue that caused ringtones purchased through the iTunes Store to be removed from an iOS device. Apple advises users who have lost ringtones to restore them by visiting itunes.com/restore-tones from their iOS devices.

iOS 8.1.2, carrying a build number of 12B440, was not seeded to developers before being released to the public. The software is available immediately as an over-the-air-download.

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Like iOS 8.1.1, released on November 17, iOS 8.1.2 is a minor update that focuses solely on bug fixes. It does not bundle in any of the major new features that are rumored for iOS 8, like improvements to Maps and split-screen multitasking for the iPad. Apple is also working on iOS 8.2 with the WatchKit SDK, which was seeded to developers in mid-November.

Related Forum: iOS 8

ipod_classic_roundupU.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, presiding over Apple's iPod/iTunes lawsuit that began last week, has disqualified the last plaintiff in the case and judged that the trial will continue while lawyers scramble to find a replacement, reports Associated Press.

That last plaintiff, Marianna Rosen, was disqualified by Judge Rogers after Apple successfully proved that the devices Rosen bought were either not from the timeframe covered by the lawsuit or were purchased using a credit card issued to her husband's business.

With all plaintiffs now removed from the case, Apple has attempted to have the case dismissed, claiming it is too late to name a new plaintiff. The original plaintiff's attorneys were given a deadline of today to name a new lead plaintiff, but The Wall Street Journal's Jeff Elder reports the judge is conferring with attorneys for both sides this morning to discuss a possible two-day delay in the trial while the situation is addressed.

According to the AP's account of the proceedings that saw the case lose its last plaintiff, Judge Rogers "scolded" Rosen and her attorneys and called Rosen's purchases "inadequate," showing impatience at having spent a week sifting through irrelevant testimony.

"I am troubled," the judge said, citing Rosen's failure to adequately account for her iPod purchases and "the failure of plaintiffs' counsel themselves to investigate sufficiently." But the judge said she has an obligation to the "millions of absent class members" to let the case continue if another lead plaintiff can be identified.

Two other plaintiffs withdrew from the case when their purchased iPods also inadequately aligned with the devices included in the lawsuit. The plaintiffs' attorney Bonny Sweeney claims many more possible plaintiffs are lining up after reading about the story making headlines last week, telling Judge Rogers that "there are plaintiffs who stand willing and ready to step in and we will have them in court tomorrow." Apple's lawyers will be given the names of the possible volunteers and judge whether or not they are eligible.

The case has been making waves since it began last week, with several Apple executives voicing their positions on the issue, a video deposition of the late Steve Jobs being shown in court last Friday, and today's news that major media outlets are seeking to broadcast Jobs' deposition to the public.

The popular subscription-based password management service Dashlane is today introducing a new feature called Password Changer that will let users change all of their passwords with a single click (via The Verge).

The new feature will work with two-factor authentication enabled accounts and be available to work with over seventy websites at launch. Password Changer is fueled by Dashlane's acquisition of PassOmatic, a New York startup that developed the core technology running the new feature.

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Password Changer will be beta-tested by a small audience (with a planned wide release soon) on the desktop versions of Dashlane for PC and Mac, and the company states that it is working on bringing it to mobile.

The update brings a large, green "change all passwords" button that, when clicked, prompts the user through changing all existing passwords with new unique, randomly generated ones. Accounts with two-factor authentication enabled will require the user to input the answer to a security question or a code.


Future updates promise users the ability to set certain accounts to automatically shuffle through new passwords at pre-set intervals. Dashlane hopes the new measures the company is taking to protect users' private information will give their customers ease of mind in the midst of recent hacking scandals over the past year.

Dashlane is free to use on a single device, but syncing and transferring between multiple devices costs $39.99 per year. The app can be downloaded for free from the Mac App Store [Direct Link] and App Store [Direct Link]. Users wanting to access the Password Changer feature ahead of the wide launch can sign up for the Password Changer beta now.

As noted by Re/code, YouTube today updated its app for the Apple TV, improving its appearance and expanding the content available to stream. With this update, the Apple TV version catches up to the Xbox, PlayStation and other similar streaming devices.

Besides a refreshed design, the new YouTube Apple TV update adds features such as personalized recommendations, channel subscriptions and predictive search. It also now supports all YouTube content, including music videos, vlogs and even advertisements.


The new YouTube experience should be rolling out today for all Apple TV owners. It follows several recent notable updates that added new channels such as today's addition of UFC.TV, The Scene, Fusion, and Dailymotion, as well as earlier additions of FXNOW, Beats Music, Showtime Anytime and more in recent months.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Apple today added four new channels to its Apple TV set-top box, further expanding the variety of content available on the device. The new additions include ultimate fighting channel UFC.TV, digital video shorts channel The Scene, news and pop culture channel Fusion, and video sharing site Dailymotion.

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UFC.TV offers access to a variety of Ultimate Fighting Championship content, including free and paid video. Users can subscribe to the service's Fight Pass premium offering with a 6-month membership priced at $54.99 or a 12-month membership at $99.99. Users can also access archived pay-per-view content, although some pay-per-view content is unavailable in many countries due to regional restrictions.

The Scene offers digital shorts from a variety of Condé Nast media brands and third-party partners, including ABC News, Epicurious, Forbes, GQ, PBS, The New Yorker, The Weather Channel, Vogue, and more. All content is available free of charge.

Fusion is a joint venture between Disney-ABC and Univision, offering a variety of content including news, pop culture, and lifestyle. Finally, Dailymotion offers access to the popular site's library of videos from premium brands and regular users alike.

All four channels are available now, with Apple calling out each of the new channels with a "New" flag on the main screen icons. Country restrictions may, however, limit where some of these new channels can be seen.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Some of the last known video of Steve Jobs, from the deposition tape that was played in court last Friday, may be made public as a group of lawyers representing CNN, Bloomberg, and the Associated Press filed a motion earlier this week to have it released (via CNET).

Up until now, both Apple and the plaintiffs in the case have asked the court to consider the video "regular testimony," which would prevent it from being shown outside the court walls. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has not yet sealed the evidence, however, leaving open the possibility of the video being made publicly available. Representing all three media outlets, attorney Thomas Burke cited public interest as a major argument for releasing the video.

"Given the substantial public interest in the rare posthumous appearance of Steve Jobs in this trial, there simply is no interest that justifies restricting the public's access to his video deposition," attorney Thomas Burke wrote in the filing Monday.

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Burke sent an official email request to broadcast the video on Sunday, to which Apple's lead attorney, Bill Isaacson replied, "Apple does not consent to your request. We are preparing a substantive response to your points and will get that to you tonight hopefully."

Jobs' deposition video is acting as evidence in the ongoing lawsuit dating back to 2005 that sees Apple facing accusations of attempting to enforce a monopoly over the iPod and iTunes by shutting out competing services.

In the video, Jobs echoed much of the same sentiment Apple has expressed in the case so far, stating that "We had pretty much black and white contracts with the labels," and that preventing the iPod from playing music from competing music services was "collateral damage."

Apple has yet to comment on the attempt to make the video public since Isaacson's initial response. According to the plaintiff's lawyers in the iPod case, whether or not the deposition video is released to the public is entirely up to Apple.

apple_logo_white_grayApple announced on Tuesday that it will be opening a new research and development center in Japan, reports The Wall Street Journal. The announcement followed a statement by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who revealed earlier today that Apple was eyeing Japan for its research expansion.

Abe relayed the information about Apple while campaigning in Tokyo, stating that Apple planned to "conduct the most advanced research and development in Japan." Abe went on to describe the facility as being "among the largest in Asia." Apple confirmed these R&D plans in a statement released to the media.

"We’re excited to expand our operations in Japan with a new technical development center in Yokohama which will create dozens of new jobs," Apple said in a statement.

Apple did not reveal on how it will use the future Yokohama site or how much it is investing in the facility. The operation will join other research and development centers Apple operates in China, Taiwan, Israel and other overseas locations. The company reportedly also is opening a new research center in Cambridge, England within the coming weeks.

Update 12/10/14: Though Apple has not disclosed the focus of its Japan-based research and development center, Nikkei reports that it will "center around health." The building is located in an economic zone designated as a hub for life sciences and environmental technology, and Apple is sponsoring research on blood pressure and blood sugar conducted in Yokohama.

Apple may finally be opening its first Apple Store location in Brooklyn, according to The New York Post. Information gained from brokerage community sources reveals that Apple has signed a long-term lease for a 20,000 square-foot store at 247 Bedford Avenue at the corner of North 3rd Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

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Rendering of renovated 247 Bedford prior to Apple commitment (via The Real Deal)

The New York Post states that the new Apple Store will be a two-story brick structure and "is getting a whole new look, featuring dramatic, arched windows." The project will reportedly be completed in April of 2015. There was no confirmation yet on when Apple will move in to begin renovation, or how much it will pay for the location.

Apple already has a handful of retail stores in New York City, including Fifth Avenue, SoHo, Upper West Side, Grand Central, and West 14th Street. Rumors of a Brooklyn/Williamsburg store have circulated for years, with various reports citing a number of possible locations.

In March 2013, Apple introduced two-factor authentication to provide additional security for Apple IDs. It expanded the feature to several new countries earlier this year and introduced it to the company's iCloud.com website this September. This was after CEO Tim Cook promised to broaden use of its two-factor authentication system in the wake of a hacking incident that saw several celebrities' iCloud accounts hacked.

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The system requires a user to have a second "trusted" device that is used to verify a user's identity in addition to an extra security code called the "Recovery Key". However, in a new account from The Next Web's Owen Williams, that Recovery Key also has the potential to completely lock a person out of their account if they're being hacked.

Williams found that someone had tried to hack his iCloud account. Apple's two-factor system kicked in and locked the account, denying entry to the would-be hacker while also denying entry to Williams. When he went to iForgot, Apple's account recovery service, he assumed two of his password, Recovery Key or trusted device would unlock his account, as he was led to believe by an Apple Support document.

When I headed to the account recovery service, dubbed iForgot, I discovered that there was no way back in without my recovery key. That’s when it hit me; I had no idea where my recovery key was or if I’d ever even put the piece of paper in a safe place. I’ve moved since I set up two-factor on iCloud.

Williams contends he took a screenshot of the Recovery Key and printed that out as well as taking a photo on his iPhone to keep as a backup, but could not locate either and was on the verge of losing his "digital life". He called Apple customer support and was told  that he had forfeited his Apple ID by losing his Recovery Key and that there was no way Apple could help him. He called back a second time.

When she got back on the line, the story was just as bleak. “We take your security very seriously at Apple” she told me “but at this time we cannot grant you access back into your Apple account. We recommend you create a new Apple ID.”

After a couple more days of talking to Apple customer support and even friends who worked at Apple, he continued to receive same responses: he was locked out of his account due to someone trying to hack into it and couldn't unlock it without a Recovery Key even though Apple's support document says it's possible with a trusted device. Eventually, Williams located his Recovery Key in what he calls the "depths" of his Time Machine backup, allowing him to finally unlock his account.

Williams concludes with a warning that anyone with two-factor authentication should take far greater care in protecting and remembering where they store their Recovery Keys, as losing it could permanently lock a user out of their Apple ID with Apple unable to do anything to help. The entire account, which is a fascinating and worthwhile read, can be read at The Next Web.

Just a couple weeks after it was revealed that Natalie Portman was in talks to play an unspecified part in Aaron Sorkin's Steve Jobs movie, Variety is reporting that the actress has decided to pass on the movie, though it's unclear why.

Other actresses are already meeting with filmmakers over the potential role, and the film is still on track to begin filming in the Spring of 2015. The film is rumored to have several female parts, including Steve Jobs' daughter, Lisa Brennan, and Katie Cotton, Apple's well-known former PR lead.

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Image via Deadline

The trade magazine also notes that X-Men: Days of Future past star Michael Fassbender will star as Steve Jobs and Seth Rogen will star as Steve Wozniak, possibly indicating that those two actors are now fully committed to the film.

The movie has seen its share of ups and downs thus far, with both Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale passing on the role of Steve Jobs before Sony Pictures dropped the movie due to a disagreement on the filming schedule with director Danny Boyle. According to Fusion, internal data from Sony Pictures, leaked via a data dump by hackers who infiltrated Sony Pictures' systems, reveals the studio's revenue forecasts for the film dropped 25% after DiCaprio dropped out, indicating the studio wasn't as confident in the movie's financial success as it used to be. However, the movie was quickly picked up by Universal Pictures.

The film, based on Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs biography, will consist of three 30-minute scenes depicting three of Apple's product launches.

Back in October, Apple removed all Bose audio products, both demo and sellable, from its retail stores around the world, but it appears the company may be planning to reintroduce Bose products to store shelves in the near future.

According to a source that spoke to French Apple website iGen.fr [Google Translate], some Apple retail stores have begun receiving shipments of Bose products with orders to put the products back on store shelves next week.

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It was not clear why Apple removed Bose products from its retail stores, but the decision did follow Apple's acquisition of Beats Electronics and a July patent infringement lawsuit that Bose filed against Beats. In the lawsuit, Bose accused Beats Electronics of infringing on several patents related to noise cancellation and other audio technologies with its Beats Studio and Studio Wireless headphones.

Shortly before Bose products were removed from Apple Stores, Beats and Bose agreed to settle the dispute between them, so it's possible that a planned removal and reinstatement of Bose products may be related to now-settled disagreement between the two companies. The move to remove Bose products from stores may have been initiated ahead of the settlement, with the products now able to return due to the end of the feud.

While a return of Bose products to the Apple Store following the end of the lawsuit makes some sense, it remains unclear whether iGen.fr's information is accurate. Beats and Bose still offer competing products, and recently, Bose teamed up with the NFL to ban NFL players from wearing Beats headphones during games. Rather than taking offense at the move, however, Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine was pleased with the attention the ban garnered Beats, saying "I can't believe I'm this lucky" and that it made Beats "look like superheroes."

Bose products are not the only products that Apple has removed from its store shelves in recent months. The company also pulled Fitbit fitness accessories from its retail and online stores in November, without explanation.

Update 12/9: 9to5Mac has acquired internal store information that confirms Bose products such as the SoundLink III Bluetooth Speaker will be returning to store shelves shortly.

Blizzard today introduced the new "Goblins vs Gnomes" expansion pack for its popular online trading card game Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. First teased last week, Goblins vs Gnomes introduces more than 120 new mechanical-themed cards to Hearthstone, including an all new "Mech" minion type.

Goblin vs Gnomes cards first debuted last week as arena draft picks, giving users a way to check out the new cards before their official launch. As of today, the cards can be purchased in game via real money or with in-game coins at the same price as old expert packs, which have now been renamed to "Classic" card packs. Goblin vs Gnomes cards can also be crafted.

Along with new cards, Goblin vs Gnomes brings a long-awaited Spectator mode to Hearthstone, letting third-party observers watch game matches.

A Goblins vs Gnomes match courtesy of TouchArcade

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- Don't let Goblins and Gnomes have all the fun building things: All Goblins vs Gnomes cards have been added to the Arena and can be chosen even if you do not have them in your Hearthstone collection.
- All Goblins vs Gnomes cards can be found easily in My Collection using the search function, and all Goblins vs Gnomes cards have a "gear" watermark in the card text box.
- Expert card packs have been renamed to "Classic" card packs. Classic card packs are still available to acquire in the in-game Shop as well as through Crafting Mode.
- New minion type "Mech" has been added. Use Mechs along with other Mechs for surprising (often devastating) results!
- An all-new interactive Goblins vs Gnomes-themed game board has been added. Turn the gears, wind the springs, and try not to blow anything up in the process. We warned you.

Currently, Goblins vs Gnomes content is only available in the U.S., with a release in other countries coming over the next day.

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft for iOS can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft for Mac can be downloaded from Blizzard's website for free.

TIME today posted its shortlist of people who are being considered for the publication's annual "Person of the Year" award, and Tim Cook is once again on the nomination list. TIME is recognizing Cook for the launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus and his recent decision to come out as gay.

Back in late October, Tim Cook made the bold move of announcing his sexual orientation in a letter written for Bloomberg Businessweek, where he said that his decision was done to "bring comfort to anyone who feels alone" and to "inspire people to insist on their equality."

Alongside Tim Cook, other nominees include the Ferguson protestors, the Ebola caregivers, Russian president Vladimir Putin, pop artist Taylor Swift, Alibaba CEO Jack Ma, acting president of the Iraqi Kurdish Region Masoud Barzani, and National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell.

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2014 Person of the Year nominees, via TIME

Tim Cook, who introduced Apple's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Apple Watch, and Apple Pay this year, and whose decision to come out made him the first openly gay Fortune 500 CEO.

TIME's Person of the Year award is given to "a person, couple, group, idea, place, or machine" that has "for better or for worse done the most to influence the events of the year," with the publication's editorial team ultimately deciding on a winner.

Tim Cook was previously nominated in 2012 alongside Yahoo CEO Marissa Meyer, Bill and Hilary Clinton, and the three scientists who discovered the Higgs Boson, but the award went to U.S. president Barack Obama. In 2013, the Person of the Year award went to Pope Francis, and in 2010, it went to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the only tech company CEO to receive the award since Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos won in 1999.

Update December 10: TIME has named the "Ebola Fighters" as its Person of the Year for 2014.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Panic's file management app Transmit made its way to iOS with the launch of iOS 8, bringing several useful capabilities that took advantage of iOS features, including "Extensibility" options that let any app upload files to a server using Transmit and a "Send" feature that let files be shared to multiple services like Dropbox and iCloud Drive.

As of last week, the function that let files be sent to Dropbox or iCloud Drive was removed from Transmit, at the request of Apple. As Panic explains in a blog post, Apple has asked the company to remove the "Send" feature from Transmit because Apple's rules state that apps cannot upload content to iCloud Drive unless content was created in the app itself.

In short, we're told that while Transmit iOS can download content from iCloud Drive, we cannot upload content to iCloud Drive unless the content was created in the app itself. Apple says this use would violate 2.23 -- "Apps must follow the iOS Data Storage Guidelines or they will be rejected" -- but oddly that page says nothing about iCloud Drive or appropriate uses for iCloud Drive.

Though Panic is only barred from uploading files to iCloud Drive, the company says that it was forced to remove the "Send" feature entirely because the Share Sheet used to send documents to other services automatically lists iCloud, and it can't be altered.

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Immutable Share Sheet in iOS 8

By barring Transmit from uploading files to iCloud Drive and providing a Share Sheet that cannot be modified, Apple has effectively blocked Transmit from being able to send files to other third-party services like Box, Dropbox, Evernote, and more.

Panic is hoping that its blog post will attract the attention of Apple employees who may be able to fix the frustrating position Apple has put the company in, either through making the Share Sheet alterable or by simply allowing Transmit to upload to iCloud Drive.

iOS 8 brought quite a few changes to iOS, including Notification Center widgets, third-party keyboards, and deep integration between apps in the form of extensions. Apple has had difficulty sorting out how it wants various features in iOS 8 to be used, however, and the company's indecision and its unclear documentation has led to several instances where developers were asked to remove key functions from their apps.

Useful Notification Center widget Launcher was pulled from the App Store in September, and more recently, Apple has asked apps like Neato and Drafts to remove widget functionality that violates the company's guidelines. There is some hope for Transmit, however, as Apple has reversed course on one notable removal request. In late October, Apple asked calculator app PCalc to remove the calculator functionality from its Notification Center widget, a decision that was later reversed after the issue received significant attention.

Transmit can be downloaded from the App Store for $9.99. [Direct Link]

Ryan Seacrest-backed Typo has recently begun shipping a new keyboard case for the iPhone 6 that the company says is designed to avoid the legal pitfalls of its first foray into the iOS keyboard market, reports Re/code.

BlackBerry's lawsuit against the original Typo iPhone Keyboard Case hit a week before the case was publicly unveiled at CES this past January, claiming the Typo keyboard was nearly identical the iconic BlackBerry keyboard. The lawsuit remains pending, but in the interim, BlackBerry was granted an injunction to block sales of the original Typo keyboard.

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Typo2 for iPhone 6 functions similarly to its predecessor in that it acts as a tangible keyboard alternative for users not comfortable with Apple's touch-screen QWERTY keys, and Typo notes the new keyboard is modeled after the iPhone's own software keyboard.

One major drawback, however, is that it blocks the iPhone 6's Touch ID capabilities. CEO Laurence Hallier (who co-created the Typo keyboard with Ryan Seacrest) didn't express worry over the issue, claiming that most of Typo's core fanbase wouldn't mind omitting Touch ID in favor of using a physical keyboard.


Hallier also told Re/code that the company is working on "a completely different take on a keyboard for the iPad." Hoping to launch sometime next year, the company has reportedly been working on the product for over two years and invested over $2 million on its design. Typo designed an iPhone 6 Plus keyboard, but as described by Hallier, it was "so big" it was "top heavy." The company is working on a new design for Apple's larger-screened iPhone, but it won't ship until the middle of 2015.

The Typo2 for iPhone 6 can be purchased from Typo's official website for $99, with an iPhone 5/5s version also available for $79. Initial pre-orders of the iPhone 6 version sold out quickly, but the company promises new pre-orders will ship by December 15.

Related Forum: iPhone