Joe Rossignol

Lutron Electronics today at CES 2016 announced that its Serena and Sivoia QS Triathlon motorized window shades now support the HomeKit-enabled Caséta Wireless Smart Bridge. The home automation system enables users to remotely control their Lutron shades using Siri on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Apple Watch. Homeowners can say commands such as "Hey Siri, turn on the lights" or "Siri, open the...

Taiwanese website Apple.club.tw has shared leaked images of the purported backlight assembly for the "iPhone 7" display. The component draws some similarities to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus backlight assembly, although the 3D Touch chip and LCD flex cables are relocated on this leaked part. Leaked backlight assembly purportedly for "iPhone 7" display The website speculates the component...

Apple today announced the 2015 holiday season was the "biggest ever" for the App Store, with customers spending a record-breaking $1.1 billion on apps and in-app purchases over a two-week period ending January 3, 2016. Christmas Day and New Year's Day both set single-day records, with customers spending over $144 million on January 1, 2016. Apple has now paid out nearly $40 billion to...

Braven has announced a pair of new Bluetooth speakers and a portable backup battery for iPhone and iPad at CES 2016. The trio of rugged accessories are designed to withstand drops, sand, snow, dirt, dust and water, making them ideal for outdoor activities ranging from camping and hiking to rafting and rock climbing. The Braven BRV-BLADE LE is a rugged portable Bluetooth speaker that features...

A wide range of notebooks and two-in-one laptops have been announced at CES 2016, including new Lenovo, LG and HP models that closely resemble the look, feel and size of Apple's 12-inch Retina MacBook, which starts at $1,299. Lenovo's 12-inch Yoga 900S convertible laptop Lenovo's new 12-inch YOGA 900S, for example, which it claims is the world's thinnest convertible laptop, has an ultra-thin...

iDevices has announced four new connected home products at CES 2016 featuring Apple's HomeKit technology, including the iDevices Socket, Wall Switch, Dimmer Switch and Wall Outlet. The home automation accessories can be controlled with Siri and the free iDevices Connected app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. iDevices Socket – This socket allows homeowners to control their standard light...

Apple has announced that it will release two exclusive Apple Watch Sport models to celebrate the Chinese New Year on February 8. The special models will be available in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan until February 22. The exclusive models and their prices have not yet appeared on the Apple Online Store. Apple Watch Sport is currently offered in 12 models, including new...

Apple has updated its Apple Pay participating issuers list with 58 additional banks, credit unions and financial institutions supporting the contactless payment service in the United States. Apple Pay now has over 900 participating issuers nationwide, and several more plan to support the NFC-based mobile payment service in the future. The newly added Apple Pay participating issuers are...

Apple is planning a major retail store expansion in Latin America, starting with two stores in Mexico City, according to an anonymous tipster who contacted MacRumors. An internal document appears to confirm that Apple is hiring in Mexico City until January 18, but some other details shared below remain unverified. The tipster claims the first Mexico City store will be located in the upscale V...

Six weeks ago, Japanese website Mac Otakara reported that Apple is planning to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack on the iPhone 7 in favor of an all-in-one Lightning connector for both connectivity and audio output. Adding fuel to the rumor, Chinese websites Anzhuo.cn [Google Translate] and Wei Feng [Google Translate] cite supply chain news from unnamed sources that reportedly confirm the...

Parrot announced at CES 2016 today that its Bluetooth-enabled robotic plant pot will launch for $99 in the first quarter of 2016. The aptly-named "Parrot Pot" is equipped with sensors that help keep your plant alive by measuring soil moisture and temperature, fertilizer, room temperature and light intensity (via TechCrunch). Parrot Pot holds about half a gallon, or 2 liters, of water (Image: Te ...

Toyota announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Ford and Livio to deploy SmartDeviceLink, an open source infotainment platform for in-car smartphone connectivity. For now, this means the world's largest automaker, continues to pass over CarPlay, which has seen wider adoption in 2016, despite being listed as a committed CarPlay partner on Apple's website."Developing a safer...

Griffin Technology has announced a new BreakSafe Magnetic USB-C Power Cable for the Retina MacBook, which makes up for the lack of Apple's own MagSafe technology on the 12-inch notebook. The six-foot cable is also compatible with other USB-C notebooks like the Chromebook Pixel and will be available in April for $39.99. BreakSafe has a patented quick-release magnetic connector that plugs...

Acer has announced all-new H7 series monitors as the first to support USB Type-C, making them compatible with Apple's newer 12-inch MacBook. The monitors will be able to charge the MacBook, transfer data and display content over one USB-C cable, eliminating the need for multiple cables and adapters. Acer's new 25-inch and 27-inch H7 series USB-C monitors The monitors will be available in...

While Tim Cook has promised Apple will "figure out a way" for iPhone and iPad users to remove certain default apps, a new limited trick allows for stock icons to be temporarily hidden on devices running iOS 9.0 to iOS 9.2 without jailbreaking. YouTube channel videosdebarraquito shared a video of his trick over the weekend, and we have confirmed the method works as shown. Follow these...

Ford has announced it is adding CarPlay and Android Auto to all 2017 vehicles in North America equipped with BlackBerry's QNX-based SYNC 3 platform, starting with the new Ford Escape. CarPlay and Android Auto will also be available in 2016 vehicles with SYNC 3 as an upgrade later this year. Ford is also adding new SYNC AppLink apps for AAA/CAA member services, Concur expense report tracking, ...

Apple has announced that its 29th retail store in China opens in Shenyang, the capital city of Liaoning, on Saturday, January 9 at 10:00 a.m. local time. The store will be located in the MixC shopping mall at 288 Qingnian Street in Shenyang's Heping District. The new store will be open Monday to Sunday between 10 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. local time, and offer traditional Apple Store services,...

Apple's next-generation iPhone 7 Plus may feature a 256GB storage option and larger 3,100 mAh battery as two differentiating features over the smaller iPhone 7, according to Chinese website MyDrivers [Google Translate]. The report does not specify if the iPhone 7 Plus will still have 16GB base storage, or if Apple will opt for larger storage options such as 32GB, 128GB and 256GB, compared to...

Apple has slightly raised iPhone and iPad prices in Germany on January 1, likely to comply with new private copying levies agreed to by German trade association Bitkom and ZPÜ collecting societies such as GEMA in December 2015. iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 5s prices increased by around 5 euros for each model, while iPad Air 2, iPad Air, iPad mini 4, iPad mini 2 and iPad Pro models each ...

Last week, YouTube criticized T-Mobile's recently introduced Binge On program for throttling all streaming video to 480p quality rather than just the video of participating services. T-Mobile has now responded to the accusations, telling DSLReports that "mobile optimized" or "downgraded" are better phrases to describe how Binge On works."Using the term 'throttle' is misleading," a...