iPhone

Apple has been caught in a fresh privacy scandal as first reported by The Guardian. According to an Apple contractor, Apple just like Google and Amazon have been busted doing, uses contractors to analyze and assess the accuracy of its Siri voice assistant by listening into people who are unaware this is happening.

Netflix has announced a new price-tier for its subscription plans in the Indian market. It goes for just INR 199 (about US$2.88) per month. For this, the user can only use the app on 1 device, which could be either a smartphone or a tablet.

Some firm details around Apple’s iPhone 11 due this fall have emerged courtesy of 9to5Mac. The big tip is it will retain its Lightning port for the time being, while also getting some key upgrades to its Taptic Engine, a new front-facing camera and Apple’s next-gen A13 processor.

Apple’s 2020 iPhone looks to be the one to get with the latest rumor pointing to an OLED display with a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz. Apple introduced this feature on its 2017 LCD-based iPad Pro 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch models dubbing it Pro Motion; however, it was conspicuously silent on the subject when it subsequently launched its first iPhone with a Super AMOLED display in the form of the 2017 iPhone X.

A new study suggests that iPhone loyalty is at an all-time low. According to BankMyCell, which tracks smartphone upgrades, iPhone users are switching in record numbers and they are largely turning to Samsung for their upgrade when they do.

The latest study from the cellular-data research body Opensignal reports that Verizon has the most widespread 4G services in the US (at 94.8% coverage). However, T-Mobile was associated with the best upload and download experiences on the same network. This new report also claims that all carriers included are improving in terms of these mobile download speeds.

Qualcomm and Ericsson has announced that their technology has passed an important milestone in the roll-out of 5G across a country the size of the US on the same band. This 600-megahertz (MHz) frequency, one of the lowest to be associated with the new data standard, is also in use at T-Mobile to establish its own next-gen network.

The latest report from SensorTower shows that app purchases generated a revenue of US$39.7 billion in the 1st 6 months of 2019. This impressive figure also represents a 15% year-on-year increase in the same kind of spending. The Apple App Store accounted for 64% of these takings.

Sony has launched its latest truly wireless in-ear buds. The new WF-1000XM3 aims to deliver a light-weight alternative to Sony's hugely successful WH-1000XM3 wireless and noise cancelling over-ear headphones.

YI (or Xiaoyi) is a company known for camera-related product and accessories, including dash-cams. Its newest version of these is the Nightscape, a 1080p, Wi-Fi enabled device with a 140-degree field of view. It also integrates Sony's STARVIS technology for improved low-light imaging.

Wireless charging is already appreciably popular today. Its market is thought to be capable of attaining a US$27 billion value over the next 6 years, according to the latest research. Its results show the most prominent application of this technology is in (surprise surprise) smartphones.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has lashed out at a Wall Street Journal article that reported Jony Ive decided to leave the company because Cook wasn't interested in design. In an email to sent to NBC's Dylan Byers, Cook refutes the story's claims as 'absurd' and that the article didn't align with the reality of the situation.

Google may be working on a new way to send files between devices without necessarily relying on the internet. This new feature, called Fast Share, may be intended to compete with Apple's AirDrop. Unlike Android Beam, it involves the instigation of Bluetooth connections.

Mobile payments are now thought of as a market capable of vast growth over the next 3 years. The latest figures put its worth at US$348 billion now; however, this is thought to grow to $1.3 trillion in 2022. It is projected to grow at this rate in the developed and developing world, and is thought to benefit from the presence of mobile network operators.

Apple fans were shocked by news that legendary design guru Jony Ive is leaving the company. While Ive has undoubtedly contributed significantly to numerous iconic Apple designs in the past, he is not, however, leaving Apple on a design high.

In a major blow to the Apple its fabled Chief Design Officer Jony Ive has announced he is leaving the company. As the hand behind Apple’s most iconic designs, the news immediately triggered a negative reaction on Wall Street stripping US$9 from the value of its shares in after-market trading.

Calculator for Windows 10 was placed on the open-source repository GitHub some months ago. Now, the developer Jérôme Laban has released iOS, Android and WebAssembly ports via the Uno platform. Therefore, nearly anyone with any device can enjoy the versatile Fluent Design app.

Apple recently hired Mike Filippo, who formerly served as ARM's lead CPU architect. While this move may mean that Apple will begin developing an ARM-based MacBook (as so many have hoped the past few years), it is more likely that Filippo will fill the role of Gerard Williams III, Apple's former lead mobile CPU architect who left the company earlier this year.

Google offers the option to store a timeline of places in which a user's location-enabled phone has been. The account-holder in question can also disable this ability and delete this information if they choose. The latest update to the app involved adds buttons that automates this procedure after 3 or 18 months.

The Indian Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEIT) is reportedly setting up a Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR). It is to be composed of the IMEIs of all mobile devices in the country. This initiative has been planned in order to help prevent the theft of these items in the country.

The usually reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects Apple to launch its first 5G iPhone in 2020. He also expects we will see a new smaller 5.4-inch model along with a larger 6.7-inch device both with 5G connectivity. The iPhone XR-style model will get OLED for the first time, but will continue with the 6.1-inch form factor.

According to a new report from The Information, Apple has been considering the acquisition of Intel's 5G modem business for almost 2 months now, but Intel has not yet provided a clear valuation for its wireless asset portfolio. This would be Apple's most expensive acquisition, which will enable it to manufacture its own mobile modems in 3-4 years.

Bethesda is asking gamers to sign up for a beta test program for DOOM 2016 on iOS. The program is designed to test Bethesda's new Orion framework for game streaming. Selected users will be able to stream DOOM 2016 on their iOS devices free of charge later this year.

Reolink, a company already known for well-spec'd wireless security cameras, now launches the E1 Pro. This new option offers a wide range of coverage for an affordable price. It will also gain Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility in the near future.

Broadcasts over 4G/LTE are common these days. The technology behind them is used for TV feeds, on-demand video, notifications and data-feeds. Their market will soon also be augmented by 5G analogs, which could push its value to about US$800 million over the next 5 years.

Dragon Quest Walk, an adventure AR game in the same vein as Pokemon Go, was announced earlier this week. Though details are sparse, the game seems to have players travel to real-world locations to battle monsters from the Dragon Quest universe. The title is set to release only in Japan for iOS and Android.

The next upcoming version of Apple's mobile device OS has finally been released at WWDC 2019. It brings the long-awaited Dark Mode, in addition to improvements for many other iOS features and functions. They include a 'new' swipe keyboard, faster app launch times and Sign in with Apple.

The new version of macOS, 10.15 Catalina, is getting rid of iTunes in lieu of three dedicated media management apps. Replacing the storied software is Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Podcasts. MacOS 10.15 will also use Finder to back up, restore, and update a connected iOS device, but users still won't have unfettered access to their iPhone's or iPad's file system.

The possible exitstence of a 2nd-generation iPhone XR is relatively well-supported in the Apple rumor sphere. Most lately, a blog claims to have gotten hold of images showing what could be this phone with and without clear cases. As it has more than 1 rear camera in these pictures, it could just be a real 2019 phone.

Bose has launched an all-new range of premium noise cancelling headphones. The first to hit the market is the new Headphones 700 that packs in 11 levels of noise cancellation.

Apple likes to claim that buying an iPhone means buying into an ecosystem where user data is sacrosanct. An examination by the Washington Post demonstrates that the reality is quite a different picture.

The Sprint TREBL with Magic Box is a small cell solution that also integrates Amazon Alexa voice-assistance and Harman Kardon sound quality. This combination makes it unique in its product category. Perhaps this is how it has won the Small Cell Forum's Judges' Choice Award for this year.

Apple looks to be working on an in-display Touch ID solution for a future iPhone, possibly in time for a 2020 or 2021 release. With most of the flagship competition working hard to eliminate notches for a truly all-display design, it looks as though Face ID may be on the way out.

A certification for what may be 2019 iPhones has allegedly surfaced on the Eurasian Economic Commission's database. The submission details a total of 11 different model numbers apparently associated with the Apple brand. They may represent different SKUs of the XR, XS and XS Max's successors.

A recent survey run by Blind shed some light on what various tech employees think of Apple and the App Store. Apple's own employees largely believe the company doesn't hold a monopoly on iOS app distribution, but other companies (namely Qualcomm and Spotify) believe that Apple's App Store constitutes a monopoly. The survey comes as a response to a recent Supreme Court ruling upholding the validity of a lawsuit filed against Apple for monopolistic practices.

Samsung Semiconductor held its Foundry Forum this week and announced a breakthrough in its fabrication process for making the Exynos chips that power its Galaxy smartphones. The new technique will give the company at least a 12-month lead on the competition in moving to the 3nm process that will result in a 50 percent boost in battery life just in time for the Galaxy S12.

The Reolink Go is a possibly worthwhile innovation in the security-cam industry: it is a truly stand-alone product that does not require external power or cables of any sort. Therefore, it can be installed so as to surveil anything the user wants. However, its need for 4G connectivity could be a drawback in some circumstances.

In changes to be announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Apple looks set to increase the number of its own Apps available on the App Store, directly challenging Google and Amazon. Changes look likely to increase existing tensions between the Cupertino company and third-party developers.

Bloomberg reports that the processor for this year's generation of iPhones has now entered production. This SoC, likely to be known as the A13 chipset, has apparently already entered production by TSMC at a testing stage. However, it is set to be mass-produced some time this month (May 2019).

The popular audio company Skullcandy has unveiled Indy, a pair of truly wireless earbuds aimed at those wishing to get into this product category at a decent price. They offer IP55 ingress protection, Bluetooth 5.0 and a combined battery life of 16 hours for US$79.99.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has ordered the recall of a wireless charging pad sold by the company Imagine Nation Books due to a burn hazard. This order affects about 64,000 of these products circulating in the country. Those who have bought them are advised to return them for a refund without delay.

Anker has released details on its new PowerIQ chips to control its upcoming charging accessories. The OEM asserts that they are compatible with QuickCharge 3.0 and PowerDelivery (PD) platforms that charge at up to 100 watts (W). However, the first PowerIQ 3.0 product will be a 60W 2-port charger that can be used with a MacBook.

The display notch has become one of the biggest polarizing factors in the smartphone industry. It has also resulted in a number of design tweaks to avoid it while maximizing screen real-estate. Huawei has patented an innovative form-factor that avoids the notch without resorting to one of these.

Concept renders and a brief video of the supposed successor of the iPhone XR have been published online. The device is expected to be the “cheap” member of the next series of iPhones and will wield lower specifications than the other 2019 smartphones. One obvious example of the cost-cutting is the rear-facing dual camera setup.

The Financial Times claims that its sources have told it that the EU will indeed probe Apple's potential anti-competition business practices. The decision follows 'surveys' of interested parties such as Spotify, who claim that the Cupertino company rigs music consumption on the iOS platform in its own favor.

Up-to-date rumors point to successors for the Huawei Mate 20 line this year. The latest leak on one variant of this series states that it will have the perfectly square rear camera pioneered last year in this series. It will also have a bigger screen, as well as a time-of-flight (TOF) module.

A report from market analyst company Counterpoint Research has stated that Apple’s iPhone X was the best-selling smartphone in the world in 2018. Top 10 charts for both the world and China were shared online and while Apple has dominated the global market, it seems the domestic manufacturer Oppo is the top dog in its home market.

As part of its quarterly earnings report, Qualcomm has revealed that will book US$4.5 to $4.7 billion dollars as a result of its legal settlement with Apple. The sizeable figure, previously unrevealed, leaves in no doubt that Qualcomm emerged from its legal wrangle with Apple the undisputed winner.

While the overall smartphone market may be down, Huawei is bucking the industry trend by confirming its position as the number 2 smartphone maker in the world ahead of Apple. While both Apple and Samsung lost ground, Huawei enjoyed incredible year-over-year growth with a 50.3 percent increase in smartphone sales.

Apple has reported its Q2 results for 2019 which showed that its iPhone sales have continued the downward trend first recorded in Q1. However, Apple stock was up seemingly in response to its services business which crested US$11 billion for the first time along with news of a further US$75 billion in share buybacks.