Latest news

iOS 9 beta users were greeted with a highly-requested feature when they updated to beta 2 yesterday.

It appears that Apple is testing a feature that will allow the operating system to delete applications when you do not have enough free space to update to the latest iOS and when the update is complete it will reinstall your app with all the data still intact.

Additionally, Apple is also including a feature called "app thinning" to iOS 9 "which allows developers to distribute only the necessary portions of their apps to users, and Swift libraries built-in so developers don't have to include them with every app," says 9to5M.

If the features make it to the final release of iOS 9, it will be to the relief of iOS fans who always have the harrowing task of deciding what pictures, games and apps they need to delete in order to make room for the updated operating system.

Uber is preparing to raise an additional $1 billion thanks to an investment from Chinese fund manager Hillhouse Capital Group.

If completed, Hillhouse will purchase bonds that then convert in shares at a discount to Uber's eventual IPO price.

The move is very similar to a deal completed by Goldman Sachs in January in which the investment bank invested $1.6 billion in exchange for convertible bonds.

Uber is the most highly capitalized private startup in the world, and when it does IPO it is expected to have a market value in excess of $40 billion, making it one of the largest tech companies on the planet, as well.

The ride-hailing app is now available in 300 cities and is aggressively expanding in places like China, where it has already committed $1 billion for 2015.

Source:
WSJ

Amazon's smart speaker, the Echo, is now available to all without an invite.

The etailer launched the device last November, and it was generally met with favorable reviews, but available only by invite meant the average consumer was not getting their hands on it.

As of yesterday, however, everyone can now buy the Echo directly from Amazon for $180, with an estimated shipping date of July 14th.

The Echo is more than just a speaker, as it is also a "personal assistant" that can answer questions for you about traffic, your favorite sports teams, and today's weather, among many other things. You can also use it to power a smart home, or ask it to add an item to your Amazon shopping list.

Your notifications are also sent to your Android smartphone via the Echo app, meaning you can take Echo with you.

As a speaker, it is cheaper than a Sonos Play 1 (although the Sonos offers better features for music), but with all the rest of its smart features, the Echo may warrant a purchase.

Check it out here: Amazon Echo

Google has announced this week the launch of an ad-supported version of Google Play Music that is free and will include free curated playlists.

The playlists are built using Songza technology, the popular streaming app acquired by Google last year.

Each station is crafted towards your mood or your activity, and if you aren't doing anything, Google has included a top 10 list to help you out. The top 10 (currently) are Brand New Music, Driving, Working Out, Boosting Your Energy, Having Friends Over, Having Fun at Work, Entering Beast Mode, Waking Up Happy, Unwinding and Bedtime.

Available now in the U.S., the free Google Play Music is available via the desktop/browser now and later this week for both Android and iOS.

The new free, ad-supported version of Google Play Music is launching first in the U.S. It's available on the web today, and is rolling out this week to Android and iOS.

While its console counterpart is flooded with great reviews, 'Batman: Arkham Knight' has seen a steady stream of negative reports for the PC version.

Users across stream, Reddit and other media have complained about lag, stuttering, frame rate fluctuations, bugs, crashes and even memory leaks.

AMD GPU card users seen to be having the most issues, but even Nvidia GTX 980 ($500 card) users have complained, showing the problems are widespread. Developer Rocksteady did note that "there are some known issues with the performance of Batman: Arkham Knight for PC owners using AMD graphics cards," and that it is "working closely with AMD to rectify these issues as quickly as possible."

Shockingly, some users reported FPS falling to 5 during gameplay using AMD cards. For the time being, it appears that Rocksteady is working on it, but it will be a bumpy ride for PC owners.

Dropbox has announced its updated Android app, version 3.0, which promises to be "better, faster and more usable."

The company has listed all the new updates and new features for the app via a new blog post:

The Popcorn Time team has revealed this week that they have seen over 1 million downloads for non-jailbroken iOS devices.

Popcorn Time, which allows you to stream pirated material and has an interface that makes everything easy to find (think Netflix), launched for iOS two months ago. The developers found a way to load the app to iOS devices through a special installer, thus avoiding Apple's stringent security.

The team was very proud of the milestone, writing: "Popcorn Time, so it seems, is the most downloaded mobile app outside the Google and Apple stores. And we take huge pride in this. This is us, this is what we've created and it's f***ing breaking records. But the silver lining of this whole thing, what's even bigger in our perspective, is the fact that Popcorn Time is the only app in the *world* that can be installed on non-jailbroken iOS devices outside [Apple's] app store."

That in of itself is quite a feat, as Apple makes it very hard to surpass the Apple App Store unless you are willing to take the plunge of jailbreaking your device.

It's also not just Americans downloading the app to their iPhones, as the Popcorn Time also revealed the top downloaders of the app by country. The Netherlands led the way with a full 19.14 percent of downloaders coming from the nation followed by the U.S. at 17.62 percent and Brazil at 7.21 percent.

Google has introduced 17 new watchfaces for Android Wear users, including character faces like Hello Kitty and Angry Birds.

Reads the release: "Ever wish you could change your look throughout the day? With Android Wear, fashion is equal parts physical and digital. Now, in addition to our growing collection of watches, you can also pick from 1500+ downloadable watch faces to match any outfit, mood, or occasion.

Today, we're showcasing 17 new watch faces from all over the globe--from the adorable characters of Angry Birds, Hello Kitty, and Moomin, to the elegant accessories of Cynthia Rowley, Lulu Frost, and Triwa, to eye-catching brands and artists like Bang & Olufsen, Muji, and Kevin Tong."

Check out the collection here: Google Play

Sony has surprisingly released an Android M Developer Preview for a dozen Xperia devices, a move that should delight fans that have grown used to waiting months if not years for the latest Google operating system on their phones and tablets.

The devices getting the M Dev Preview are the Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3 Compact, Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact, Xperia Z2, Xperia Z2 Tablet, Xperia Z1 Compact, Xperia Z1, Xperia Z Ultra, Xperia E3, Xperia M2, Xperia T2 Ultra and Xperia T3.

Sony also explains how to install the Developer Preview ROM, and you will need an unlocked bootloader.

It is pretty clear the preview is not made for everyday use or for the casual user, but developers will likely get to work as soon as possible.

According to Polish airline LOT, nearly 1400 passengers were grounded on Sunday after hackers attacked the airline's ground computer systems.

The systems took about five hours to get back online, meaning 10 flights were canceled and another 12 were delayed.

LOT provided hotel accommodations for anyone who was delayed overnight, and helped passengers to board flights throughout the night.

The airline did say that flight safety was never compromised and the Warsaw airport and other airlines were not affected. The company did have a warning, however, stating, "We're using state-of-the-art computer systems, so this could potentially be a threat to others in the industry."

Sony has introduced a 1TB 'Ultimate Player' edition console today, launching in Europe on July 15th.

"Offering twice the storage of the existing PS4, you'll be able to download more of the games you love to your PS4, extend your play with more great add-on content and save and share even more of your best gaming highlights," says Sony.

In addition to the larger capacity PS4, the company also noted that its 500GB design will now be 10 percent lighter and 8 percent more power efficient. Finally, the console will replace the glossy top with a matte finish, which will likely show less scratches and fingerprints.

Apple introduced it's new music streaming service with a three month trial period. For customers a three month free of pay trial period seems like a great deal. However, for artists the news wasn't that good. In fact, Apple said that it won't be paying artists for the listens during the three month period at all.

Taylor Swift argued that it was a shocking and disappointing in an open letter released on Tumblr. Only hours after it was released Apple took another look at the policy and decided to change it.

Apple boss Eddy Cue announced on Twitter that Apple will be paying artists for the listens during the three month trial period as well. At this point it is unknown though how the pay compares to pay from a normal listen. Also it is unclear if Taylor Swift will indeed now bring the hugely successful album 1989 to Apple Music That would make Apple Music the first music streaming service to feature the album in question.

Earlier this week, during E3, Sony made a great announcement for fans, but one that may slipped under the radar due to all the big games announcements.

Sony has added a new Media Player app to the PlayStation 4, one that allows you to play home media (or those videos you downloaded online) directly through a USB stick or home server.

Most importantly, the Media Player finally brings MKV support, a feature I have personally been asking Sony for since the launch of the PlayStation 3.

Here is the full codec list supported:

According to a new report, Apple is making huge margins on the bands for the Apple smartwatch.

Citing data from Slice Intelligence, a research firm that mines data from your email receipts, it is estimated that 2.79 million watches have been sold as of mid-June. The figure is significant compared to other smartwatches, but won't even make a mark compared to Apple's other cash cows.

Besides buyers buying the watch, it also appears there are strong sales of additional bands. The entry-level sports band retails for $49 at 38mm, but only costs $2 to make (as per IHS). Even if you take into account R&D, shipping and other costs, Apple is looking at 70 percent margins on the bands.

Slice estimates about 17-20 percent of shoppers have purchased multiple bands and the $149 Milanese loop is the second-most popular behind the cheaper Sports option. The most expensive band will set you back $449, which can double the price of your device.

As we reported earlier this week Taylor Swift has denied Apple Music her latest masterpiece called 1989. Now the pop princess explains herself in an open letter to Apple.

This open letter, dubbed "To Apple, Love Taylor", starts off by explaining what a great relationship she has had with one of the most influential companies in history – both technologically and in the music industry. The letter, however, quickly turns for the worse for Apple.

Swift says she's been shocked and disappointed by Apple Music's three-month trial period during which it doesn't pay the artists for the songs listened to. According to Swift this is not what "historically progressive and generous companies" should do.

She continues to explain that this is not about her – even though it is just her one album – but instead the starting and struggling artists that are rid of one quarter of a year's pay. Swift makes sure to say multiple times how much she respects Apple as a company and what they've done but says this particular thing is wrong.

The letter closes saying that it's not too late for Apple to change its policy and that Apple shouldn't ask for this because "we don't ask you for free iPhones".