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AfterDawn: News

Apple unveils iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus

Written by James Delahunty @ 12 Sep 2017 2:53

Apple unveils iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus Apple has unveiled the next generation of iPhone today at the Steve Jobs Theater, including the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

The new iPhone revises the design a bit with glass on the front and back, and available in silver, space gray and gold. Both models are water and dust resistant. The iPhone 8 features a 4.7-inch display while the iPhone 8 Plus increases to 5.5-inch display, both whiche use True Tone to adapt color and temperature to ambient light.

New stereo speakers also provide deeper base, and 25 percent higher volume over iPhone 7.

Under the hood, Apple has made some significant improvements. The iPhone 8 models feature the A11 Bionic chip, which Apple claims is the most powerful chip ever in a smartphone. The A11 Bionic packs a six-core CPU in 64 bit design, providing a 25% improvement over A10. A new Apple-designed GPU boasts a 30% speed improvement over the A10.

For those conscious of recording video and snapping photos, iPhone 8 packs a new 12mp sensor (dual 12mp sensors for Plus model), the A11 includes a new image processor with faster low light autofocus and new hardware noise reduction abilities.

A new camera feature called Portrait Lighting can sense depth and rework lighting automatically. Real-time analysis of lighting on a subject's face provides for vastly improved imaging abilities. You can record in 4K at 60fps and also ion slow-motion in 1080p at 240fps.

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AfterDawn: News

Apple unveils Apple TV 4K

Written by James Delahunty @ 12 Sep 2017 1:57

Apple unveils Apple TV 4K Apple has unveiled an upgraded Apple TV with support for 4K video and high dynamic range (HDR) at the Steve Jobs Theater.

To play 4K with HDR, the Apple TV 4K upgrades to an A10X processor and a new version of the tvOS operating system. On the content side, Apple has partnered with the big boys in Hollywood, including Lionsgate, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Sony, Universal and Paramount to bring many more movies in 4K to iTunes.

To answer the important question, the price of 4K movies is the same as others and even better, content that was purchased previously will be upgraded to 4K HDR (if available) automatically!

For streamers, Netflix and Amazon Prime TV 4K content is coming soon, as it has been available on other platforms for some time now.

For international users, Apple announced that the TV app will be available in more countries soon also, and will feature more live Sports and News content.

Apple TV 4K will also add more gaming abilities and content.

For pricing, Apple TV 4K will cost $179 with 32GB of storage, or $199 for 64GB. The non-4K unit will cost $149 (with 32GB storage). Orders can be made from Sept 15, and the Apple TV 4K will be available from Sept 22.




AfterDawn: News

Apple unveils Watch Series 3 with LTE support

Written by James Delahunty @ 12 Sep 2017 1:42

Apple unveils Watch Series 3 with LTE support Apple has launched an upgraded version of its Watch device at the Steve Jobs Theater today, untethering the device from iPhone.

The firm made a big deal out of the fact that the Watch is now the number one selling watch in the world, and that it claims a 97% customer satisfaction rate. Additionally, the Watch is also the most used heart monitor in the world, and Apple wants to exploit that fact.

Above all else, the best thing about the Watch upgrade is it no longer has to be tethered to an iPhone when you are on the road. Instead, the Watch has built in LTE support, connecting directly to your cellular network. This will make Watch more attractive to those who don't want to switch smartphone OS.

For health-conscious users of Watch, Apple is making several notable software changes, including a completely redesigned workout app. The user's heart rate is now also displayed right on the watch face, and can notify you if it detects an elevated heart rate when you are not active.

Additionally, it can also detect arrhythmia, when your heart beat is not regular. Working with the FDA and Stanford researchers, Apple is also producing an "Apple Heart Study".

For music lovers, Apple Watch now links with Apple Music to stream over 40 million songs right over LTE.

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AfterDawn: News

YouTube brings HDR videos to mobile users

Written by Matti Robinson @ 11 Sep 2017 1:25

YouTube brings HDR videos to mobile users Last week it was revealed that Netflix had released an update bringing HDR video to Galaxy Note8 smartphone. Expanding the HDR support to new Android devices is not a trick that only Netflix possesses though.

Now YouTube has decided to up the ante and add HDR support to its mobile app. Unfortunately for iPhone users, for now, it is only available on Android phones. This is because only a handful of Android phones support HDR video on their screens. This might, of course, change this week as the iPhone X is unveiled.

At this moment YouTube's HDR content can be watched on four Android devices, which are Samsung Galaxy S8, Samsung Galaxy Note8, Sony Xperia XZ Premium, and LG V30. Netflix on the other hand supports LG G6 but not yet Galaxy S8.

HDR videos have a maximum resolution of 1440p which all of the aforementioned smartphones support as well. The framerate is capped at 60 fps.

YouTube has supported HDR videos already for nine months but it has been limited to HDR supported smart TVs.




AfterDawn: News

China to strike down Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies

Written by Matti Robinson @ 11 Sep 2017 10:59

China to strike down Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies China has expressed that it will disallow the use of virtual currency, or cryptocurrency, in the country, Wall Street Journal reports. Previously the world's most populous country had banned ICOs (initial coin offerings) which allows citizens to acquire funds via virtual currencies.

China, who love to control their market, have been struggling with the concept of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. They are almost impossible to control and monitor, and can be used very easily to move funds out of the country. The authorities are also afraid that Bitcoin and others increase money laundering within its borders, and even affect the value or Chinese juan.

Bitcoin has been gaining strength recently, and in the past few months it has doubled its value. This probably is one of the reasons governments, at least the authoritarian ones more prone to control monetary markets, are interested in fighting cryptocurrencies.

According to country's largest Bitcoin exchanges, BTCC and Huobi, they hadn't yet received requests to shut down their services. Even if China follows through with what WSJ claims, it won't affect for example over-the-counter (OTC) Bitcoin transactions, sources say to Bloomberg.

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AfterDawn: News

Video details how the new Face ID looks like on iPhone X

Written by Matti Robinson @ 10 Sep 2017 11:48

Video details how the new Face ID looks like on iPhone X Yesterday it was revealed that Apple is going to not only revolutionize their smartphone lineup but also the naming scheme. No iPhone 7s at all, but instead a slightly upgraded iPhone 8, and completely upgraded iPhone X.

The latter comes with many new features that were also detailed yesterday. Among these are camera features such as Portrait Lighting but also for a long it has been rumored that Apple will introduce a face recognition system because it'll be removing the home button and thus the traditional fingerprint reader in Touch ID.

Well, we've now got some footage that will show pretty much exactly how that is going to work. Twitter user and iOS developer Guilherme Rambo has shared a video which combines the selfie shot and an animation found from leaked iOS 11 files.

It's not the actual authentication but instead just the animations that are used in it. It would seem awfully long if all the animations run as in the video every time you unlock your iPhone. There's also video of the Face Enrollment, which is the setup for your Face ID.

In addition a UI designer Maxim Petriv has compiled pictures what the settings and the UI of iPhone X's Face ID looks like according to the leaks.

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AfterDawn: News

Spotify no longer supported by Safari

Written by Matti Robinson @ 10 Sep 2017 10:44

Spotify no longer supported by Safari Spotify and Apple became direct competitors in June 2015 when the world's largest company decided to up their game in terms of music services. Spotify was, and is still, the leader in streaming music, and Apple was the king of the previous music revolution.

Now it seems that Spotify has been struck with a slight nuisance as Apple has removed the support for Spotify in their web browser. Spotify's web player no longer works on Safari, MacRumors has noted. However, even though it sounds like an extension of the scuffle they are currently having in the music space, it is likely not related to the competition in the least.

See, Apple's browser doesn't support a plugin called Widevine, which is required by Spotify. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge on the other hand do support the plugin.

So if you love using the web player and are a Safari users, you unfortunately have no other choice than to switch browsers, at least to use Spotify. In addition to Chrome versions from 45 on, Firefox v47 onwards, and Edge version 14 and later, Spotify web player can be used on Opera (v32+).

Spotify has not been able to answer whether it'll bring the web player to Safari in the future. That probably depends more on Apple.




AfterDawn: News

Apple's next week's iPhone 7s is iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 is iPhone X

Written by Matti Robinson @ 09 Sep 2017 12:36

Apple's next week's iPhone 7s is iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 is iPhone X The world is holding their breath as it awaits for the upcoming iPhones. Well, maybe not quite, but one or two people might be looking forward to what is, perhaps, the most substantial upgrade to iPhone thus far.

Even though Apple will likely unveil three new iPhones, the only one that includes significant, or, as Apple might call it, revolutionary, upgrades to the iconic smartphone is the one everyone has their eyes on. Many things have leaked about that one model in particular but it has still been unclear what they will call the new phone.

For months it has seemed liked the consensus is that it'll be iPhone 8 as the smaller upgrades will be aptly getting the moniker 7s and 7s Plus respectively. However, even names such as iPhone 10 or iPhone X have been floating around.

Now a self-proclaimed hacker has revealed some new information about the names that appear in a recently leaked iOS 11 firmware. The Twitter user Steve T-S (@stroughtonsmith) has posted a picture revealing that the device known as the codename D20 is called in the documents iPhone 8. However, this is not the dro... phone you're looking for.

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AfterDawn: News

Upcoming iOS leaked, reveals new "iPhone 8" features

Written by Matti Robinson @ 09 Sep 2017 11:57

Upcoming iOS leaked, reveals new "iPhone 8" features Apple's upcoming and close to final version of iOS 11 has leaked revealing some new information about the highly anticipated iPhone due next week. The GM, or Grand Master, release of iOS 11 details new camera features about the iPhone 8 that will be released alongside iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus on Tuesday.

Previously details have been unveiled by the leaked HomePod firmware but this time around iOS has prematurely offered us official information about the upcoming smartphone. According to 9to5Mac, who've been scavenging through the software update, there's a new camera mode called Portrait Lighting.

This mode allows users to take Portrait pictures as introduced last year with the iPhone 7 Plus but with new lighting effects. Among those are Contour Light, Natural Light, Stage Light, Stage Light Mono, and Studio Light.

In addition to Portrait Lighting the new iPhone 8, or perhaps even 7s and 7s Plus, will be able to take Full HD video in amazing 240 frames per second, and even doubles the 4K video framerate to 60 fps.

When it comes to display, the leak reveals that iPhone will also get the True Tone Display that was introduced to iPads last year. This makes the display adapt to its surrounding lights and change its color temperature according to the environment.

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AfterDawn: News

Report: Google close to acquiring HTC

Written by Matti Robinson @ 08 Sep 2017 4:10

Report: Google close to acquiring HTC One of the more storied smartphone manufacturers, HTC, has been in dire straits for a long time. A company which was one of the first smartphone manufacturers for both Windows and Android platforms reported the worst financial results in 13 years this August.

The Taiwanese manufacturer has been struggling for years, and even though occasionally it has produced some spectacular smartphones the competition has just been too fierce.

For a long time HTC has been seeking for a buyer without much success. Now it seems, though, that the tides have turned.

According to a Chinese source, Commercial Times, negotiations between HTC and search giant Google have advanced to a place where HTC might soon be a Google company.

The sources claim that the negotiations are in final stages, and the companies are trying to figure out if Google will acquire the company or become a strategic partner of a kind. In either case the deal will include smartphone business but not the VR side of things that includes HTC Vive.

This wouldn't of course be the first time Google buys a smartphone manufacturer. In 2012 Google acquired Motorola Mobility but didn't find much success with it and sold it to Lenovo in late 2014. Whether there was a lesson to learn about buying a manufacturer remains to be seen.

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AfterDawn: News

Apple and Amazon to challenge Sony and others for James Bond rights

Written by Matti Robinson @ 08 Sep 2017 1:41

Apple and Amazon to challenge Sony and others for James Bond rights Online video and internet TV is here to stay. Moreover it is here to challenge broadcast TV and it seems clear that it is the future.

Netflix, of course, has proven that the concept of internet TV can be successful around the globe. Not only has it been a business success it has managed to produce some of the world's best TV content, movies, as well as documentaries.

After such success others are quick to pile in on broadcast TV and secure their share of the future TV pie. Among technology companies Apple and Amazon have been challenging Netflix with their own shows.

According to Hollywood Reporter those two are planning on raising the stakes further by possibly acquiring the distribution right to one of the most important movie franchises of our time.

After the 2015 film Spectre, the future distribution rights for James Bond franchise have been up in the air. MGM and Eon Production have been looking for a buyer for two years now.

The insider sources claim that not only Warner, who is closest to land a deal, and other Hollywood giants but also aforementioned technology companies are more than interested in competing for the rights for future Bond movies. And they might be willing to spend even more to get what they want.

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AfterDawn: News

Samsung's new Rewards Program might net you $200,000

Written by Matti Robinson @ 07 Sep 2017 4:10

Samsung's new Rewards Program might net you $200,000 Samsung has launched a new rewards program which is aimed at mobile users, and especially hackers among them. The new Mobile Security Rewards Program offers rewards in cash and can amount to up to $200,000.

The program includes 38 different mobile devices, from 2015 up until today, and their respective software solutions. This includes such smartphone and tablet lineups as the Galaxy S series, Galaxy Note series, Galaxy A series, and Galaxy Tab series.

The software in the program includes the likes of Samsung Pay and Bixby, but is not limited to separate Samsung apps. However, Samsung's rules require that the security hole must only be found in Samsung devices, not Android in general. In addition it must be accessed without physical connection.

To get a reward you need to be hacking the latest software version of the device or the app. Naturally Samsung also requires that the hacker will not publish any information about the issue until Samsung has had time to address and possibly fix the issue.

Unfortunately not every security problem unveiled is going to net you the top dollar. Depending on the severity level of the vulnerability Samsung rewards $200 to $200,000 to the first person responsible for finding the security threat.




AfterDawn: News

Apple's TV division is recruiting talent from Sony

Written by Matti Robinson @ 07 Sep 2017 11:41

Apple's TV division is recruiting talent from Sony It is safe to say that the future of television is probably not in cable, right? There's one company that has been shouting that from the mountaintops, obviously, but it's not so clear that near trillion dollar technology behemoths are just going to watch you take it.

The likes of Google and Apple are certainly going to fight for a piece in that pie, as are many others. Apple has been investing in TV which is evident from their exclusive show Planet of the Apps, but behind the scenes a lot is happening.

Apple has been recruiting talent from one of the more influential TV teams in Sony. Adding to two high-tier TV execs recruited in July, Apple has now found three new Sony bosses to their new video programming division.

Former Sony TV leads Max Aronson, Ali Woodruff, and Kim Rozenfeld now join Apple, Deadline reports. In addition Apple found PR talent in WGN America's former head of PR Rita Cooper Lee.

All of them obviously have bonafide background in TV programming and business in general, and it'll be interesting to see what they'll manage at Apple. They've previously been part of such hit shows as Breaking Bad and Two Guys and a Girl.

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AfterDawn: News

How to change Android default keyboard app

Written by Petteri Pyyny @ 07 Sep 2017 10:36

How to change Android default keyboard app Very often the new Android phone you purchased ships with a rather bad keyboard app. However, with Android, changing the default keyboard app is quite an easy task.

Here's our guide on how to do that in Android (7.0 and onwards).

Download a new keyboard app for your Android


There are hundreds of free keyboard apps available for Android, so you might want to take a look at our list of best Android keyboard apps before proceeding.

Approve the keyboard app


Now, head to your phone's Settings and find the Languages & input selection. Tap that.

Android settings

Now, in that menu, tap the Virtual keyboard selection.

Android languages and input

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AfterDawn: News

4 Best Android keyboard apps (free ones)

Written by Petteri Pyyny @ 07 Sep 2017 10:35

4 Best Android keyboard apps (free ones) Your phone usually ships with some sub-par keyboard app that makes you wonder how such good phone is equipped with such bad keyboard. No worries - there are plenty of free Android keyboard apps to choose from, each with their own unique twists.

Here's out look at four best keyboard apps for Android as of now.

Gboard - Google's own keyboard



Gboard is the official keyboard from Google. As expected, it has everything that a modern keyboard app should have: customizations and predictive text input. And as the Gboard is from Google, it obviously has an integrated Google search in it.

Here's the demonstration video for Gboard:



Download Gboard from Google Play

Kika - Keyboard for those who love their emojis



Kika is aimed for "fun writing", meaning that the app is full of emojis, GIF animations and all kinds of bells and whistles you might expect to see in a keyboard app meant for social media savvy ones. Besides the eye-candy, Kika also has the most common features of modern keyboards: flow-writing, predictive text input and full customization. And yes, it supports tons of languages, too.

Read more...



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