Apple

Aukey, a common name in USB power and mobile-device accessories, has launched a new technology called Dynamic Detect. It allows a dual-port USB-Power Delivery (USB-PD) charger to recognize the number of devices connected to it and allocate its full wattage accordingly. This could allow an ultrabook to fast-charge at the full wattage it needs.

The under-display fingerprint sensor built into the new Samsung Galaxy S10 is often perceived as the most secure. This is due to its state-of-the-art, ultrasonic nature that builds a 3D map of the user biometric in question. A Reddit user has claimed to have fooled it with a mock print made of resin.

The iPad Mini has been refreshed for 2019. Saying that, it does not have many new features, besides the A12 Bionic chip that is also found in the latest iPhones. This new little slate went through JerryRigEverything's tests, and was found to bend, but not flake apart like the iPad Pro 2018.

Qualcomm has announced that George Davis, an executive who had served as the company's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the past 6 years, has left the firm. His immediate successor is David Wise, who also acts as senior vice-president and treasurer for the chipmaking giant. However, Qualcomm is also looking for a new CFO to replace him in the long term.

The Pixel Watch is still rumored to be Google's first own-brand smartwatch. The company has added fuel to the rumor-fire to this effect by filing a patent for a new kind of watch-band clasp. It could be integrated into the prospective Watch in order to make first-party straps as good a business as they have become for Apple.

Beats has unveiled its new Powerbeats Pro on its website. These new earbuds are of the 'sports' variety, and thus have over-the-ear loops built into a completely wireless design. Like the new AirPods, they can activate Siri hands-free and have the new H1 chip for wearables.

Duplex is the strikingly realistic voice-enabled arm of the Google Assistant. It can carry out tasks such as booking tables at restaurants for smartphone users in 43 US states. It had been restricted to doing so on Pixel-line phones only; however, an XDA contributor has claimed that it may now work on devices from other OEMs.

The e-reparability authority iFixit had nothing but criticism for the first-gen AirPods when they came out. The wireless earbuds received a rare "repairability score" of zero from the company. Now, the new 2019 versions of these products have received the same rating.

A new report has stated that Apple could be planning on releasing three iPhones in 2020 that all feature OLED panels, which will probably be supplied by Samsung. As one of the 2020 phones is rumored to be coming in a 5.42-inch size, there has been speculation this could be a next-generation iPhone SE.

Samsung followed Huawei into reverse wireless charging territory in 2019. Now, the respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo asserts that Apple will do the same. This feature would align nicely with the new capabilities of the AirPods.

Another scathing article has been penned by a well-respected member of the Apple community on Apple's malfunctioning keyboards. David Heinemeier Hansson, a software developer, claims that the failure rate of Apple's butterfly mechanism based keyboards is much higher than Apple is willing to admit or may even be aware.

Ting Mobile, a North American mobile service provider, recently conducted a survey of just over 1.400 smartphone users. It found that 64% of these respondents reported cracks in their screens, most of which (62%) did so through dropping their devices. The survey also found that only 11% repaired their own phones, whereas 64% would be interested in a DIY repair kit to help them do so.

The ultimate demise of the AirPower charging mat appears to have been foretold by Apple insider Sonny Dickson several months ago. In the absence of any official word from Apple, other than it cancelled AirPower because it couldn’t “achieve our high standards,” it appears that Dickson’s is the most plausible explanation of what went wrong.

Gerard Williams III, the lead designer of Apple’s industry-leading custom A-series ARM-based chips has left the company according to a CNET report. The departure couldn’t have come at a worse time for Apple which has been reeling from negative publicity surrounding the termination of the high-profile AirPower charging mat device and an admission that its third-generation butterfly-mechanism based keyboards are also susceptible to failing.

A new video posted by YouTube channel PhoneBuff has pitted the Samsung Galaxy S10+ against the iPhone XS Max in a series of brutal drop tests. Although the flagship from the South Korean manufacturer is wrapped in Corning’s Gorilla Glass 6, it loses to the subjectively better durability performance of its iPhone rival.

In what will surely go down as one of the biggest fails in tech history, Apple has quietly announced that it has cancelled its Qi-enabled, long overdue, AirPower charging mat. Apple quietly made the dumbfounding announcement in a written statement to TechCrunch.

Apple's original AirPods snatched the majority of the true wireless earphone market at the end of 2018, according to Counterpoint Research. Its latest report on the subject put the earbuds' share at 60%. Jabra, Samsung, JLabs and Bose provided the remainder of the top 5 during the time studied.

Lyft has successfully completed its IPO in the US, and is trading on the Nasdaq platform as of today (March 29, 2019). It had been estimated to start at US$72 per share; however, this value is now closer to $88. This, then, is the most successful tech offering since Snap - but Uber is hot on its heels.

Apple puts the maximum RAM of its new 27-inch iMac at 64GB. However, the memory kit-maker OWC has confirmed that the PC is indeed compatible with twice this value. Therefore, it now sells upgrade kits for this PC that may allow a user to add 120GB of RAM to an iMac base model.

Squares Ahoy! A set of schematics have leaked online, which reinforce that the next iPhones will have a huge square rear-facing camera housing akin to the Huawei Mate 20 Pro.

Despite Apple’s reputation for build quality and design it has been having a few quality issues of late, particularly with regard to its MacBook line. A search on Apple’s website has revealed all of the products in its lineup that are currently eligible for its “Exchange and Repair Extension” programs.

Targus, a name in the travel and laptop-carrying accessory space, has developed the Mobile ViP+ Backpack. It integrates Qi wireless charging, so that a phone such as the Samsung Galaxy S10+ can have a dedicated pocket within the new bag that secures and charges it at the same time. This new backpack also has RFID shielding and airport-cart compatibility.

Jabra has released its latest generation of neckbuds, the Evolve 65e. The audio company claims that this wireless set of earphones has consumer-grade comfort with professional levels of audio. This product has attained Skype for Business and UC certification, which may appeal to the business customer in need of mobile connectivity.

According to a pattern of online user reports, the smaller variant of the iPad Pro 2018 is afflicted by a bug that throws its touch-responses off when a glass screen protector is installed. This results in a host of ill effects, from ghost touches to diminished passcode-entering accuracy. However, iOS 12.2 reportedly includes a fix for these issues.

Apple, as many will be aware, rarely if ever offers discounts on its products. However, in further confirmation that iPhone sales have cooled, major Australian retailer JB Hi-Fi has slashed an incredible AU$320 (US$226) off the price of the iPhone Xs 512 GB and iPhone Xs Max 512 GB models.

Third time’s not the charm for Apple it seems when it comes to its troublesome butterfly mechanism-based MacBook keyboards. The company has admitted that users are still experiencing issues with the redesign that was meant to end the problems customers reported with the first two generations.

2019 may be the year of the first-generation foldable smartphones from familiar brands. They are likely to be linked to extra-large price-tags; however, a prominent industry figure has predicted that they may shrink steadily as time goes on. Unfortunately, a new report may have put the kibosh on that idea.

A recent legal ruling gave Qualcomm the right to force iPhones off its OEM's own shelves in China. Now, the chip-maker may get the chance to do the same in the US. A judge from the country's International Trade Commission has ruled that the Apple infringed on a patent that applies to its most recent mobile SoCs, leading to a recommendation that their use should be prevented.

Vivaldi 2.4 comes with no less than 42 bug fixes, as well as 9 new features. The most important changes are the ability to remove buttons from the Navigation Toolbar and move them between the Navigation and Status bars, as well as the introduction of multiple user profiles — each with a separate set of Bookmarks, Extensions, history, and so on.

Apple Music on Android has been more popular than you would think. New data from SensorTower shows that since it has launched, over 40 million users have downloaded the app from the Google Play Store.

Apple subsidiary Beats will be launching its first pair of truly wireless earphones imminently. The discovery of the name PowerBeats Pro and black and white versions was uncovered by 9to5 Mac in the code for iOS 12.2 which went live today.

Apple's latest release event debuted Arcade, a new elaboration on the App Store's gaming experience. The company claims that over 100 new and original games have been developed for this new subscription-based service. It is also ad-free and allows offline play.

Apple Card brings together hardware, software, and services to deliver a complete financial management and payment experience focused on providing "a healthier financial life" to its customers. This solution comes with a rewards program called Daily Cash, no fees, low interest, a physical titanium card for payments at locations without Apple Pay support, and more.

The Cupertino giant has unveiled the next generation of its TV arm. However, it is not a device; rather, it is a software- and content-based upgrade. The new Apple TV app allows users to cherry-pick channels or streaming providers at need. They could also add Apple TV Plus: the company's new panel of original shows available via subscription.

Apple News just got a spinoff that includes 300 magazine subscriptions and is simply called News+. Available for US$9.99 a month (the first month is free), this service is also rolling out in Canada in both French and English. Australia and the UK will follow later this year as well.

The months of December 2017 through to January 2019 have been associated with declining smartphone sale numbers in the United States on a year-on-year basis. Counterpoint, a market analysis firm, cited the lack of deals on flagships and the government shutdown as factors in the trend as it applied to January.

Geologists at the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Plymouth in England have blended an iPhone so they could scrutinize the elements it’s made from more closely. Using their specialist knowledge and skills, the researchers found that the iPhone had enough gold and tungsten in it to be classified as high-grade.

Apple has developed a habit of disappointing its fans by including power bricks that charge at only 5W with its iPhones. However, a new leak has predicted that the company will put an end to this in 2019. It also projects that the next generation of Apple mobile devices will be capable of reverse wireless charging.

Apple used to be the tech company that led consumer technology design unchallenged. After a week of rehashed designs masquerading as, in at least one instance, “all new” product launches, the company feels like it is asleep at the wheel under CEO Tim Cook.

A designer called Antonio De Rosa has come up with a concept video of what an iPhone foldable smartphone, which is called the iPhone X Fold in the clip, could actually look like. Unsurprisingly, there are plenty of familiar Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X elements in the mix, but the presence of a square triple camera setup and some innovative packaging are highlights.

Apple's market share in China has reportedly fallen by 26.6% in 2018. Unsurprisingly, the culprits are more 'local' OEMs such as Huawei and Xiaomi, who offer more innovative features in premium handsets that go for less than those from the Cupertino company.

Beats by Dr. Dre has been an Apple subsidiary for some time now. The brand's next product may be a pair of truly-wireless earbuds. According to a CNET report, they may run on the new Apple H1 chip, which is also found in the newly-released AirPods 2.

Arrested Huawei CFO and daughter of founder Ren Zhengfei, Meng Wanzhou, has had further embarrassment heaped on her. As if getting arrested in Canada at the request of the US government on espionage charges isn’t enough, it has now been revealed that when arrested, Meng was in possession of several Apple products instead of Huawei equivalents.

Huntkey, a company based in Shenzhen, has announced that it is currently producing a 90-watt wall-wart intended for mobile devices. This next-gen power-brick also has a USB type-C output, rather than type-A as normal. It supports various fast-charging profiles, in addition to USB Power Delivery and Qualcomm QuickCharge3.0+.

DigiTimes has cited sources at a components supplier in a new report that alleges the AirPower accessory is finally going to be released soon. This article also asserts that the long-awaited wireless charging pad will work with at least one generation of the Apple Watch.

Microsoft has become much more open under current CEO Satya Nadella with apps made for macOS, iOS, Android and Linux. The latest step in this initiative is the porting of a version of Microsoft Defender antivirus software for macOS, but in this instance, it is targeted at business users initially.

Apple's latest press release has unveiled the AirPods 2. These new earbuds integrate handsfree Siri activation, faster switching between different devices and wireless charging. However, their design is largely unchanged compared to their preceding generation.

OWC is a company that caters to iMac fans who want to upgrade their new Apple all-in-ones. It has announced its new Memory Kits for the 2019 27-inch iMac (the 5K model). As this new 2019 variant has 4 user-accessible slots, OWC is also currently testing out the possibility of maxing its RAM to 128GB.

In a world where everyone seems to be a streamer or caster or some kind, a USB microphone may be a viable purchase. They combine the possible advantage of improved audio with a power source that is already built into your machine. A recent "data-driven" review puts the Blue Yeti at the top of a new list of the best of these devices.

LumiCharge made a good impression among tech correspondents with its first-gen desk lamp. This product had an LED clock, not to mention ways to charge iOS and Android smartphones with built-in wired connections. Now, the company is back on Indiegogo with the LumiCharge II, which adds wireless charging to this set-up.