Apple Rumors

http://ift.tt/2rUGH2x Nintendo this evening announced that a new mobile game is in the works, and this time the company is planning to bring a major fan favorite franchise to iOS devices -- Mario Kart. According to Nintendo, a new Mario Kart game called "Mario Kart Tour" is in development. Little is known about the game at this time, but Nintendo says it will be released by March 2019. The checkered flag has been raised and the finish line is near. A new mobile application is now in development: Mario Kart Tour! #MarioKartTour Releasing in the fiscal year ending in March 2019. pic.twitter.com/8GIyR7ZM4z — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 1, 2018 Mario Kart is one of Nintendo's most popular titles, and a Mario Kart mobile game would follow successful mobile versions of games in the Super Mario, Animal Crossing, and Fire Emblem franchises. With more than a year to go before Mario Kart Tour launches, we'll likely learn more about it over th...

http://ift.tt/2DOJhZ7 During its fourth quarter earnings report this afternoon, AT&T shared release details (via Engadget ) for its next-generation DirecTV Now video streaming platform, which will be a major revamp of the existing service. When the update rolls out this spring, DirecTV Now subscribers will gain access to a new cloud DVR feature, allowing them to record and access their shows from anywhere. DirecTV Now will also be gaining an entirely new interface to provide a "consistent look and feel" across all of the company's consumer video services, and subscribers will be able to stream to one additional device concurrently. DirecTV Now subscribers have had access to the cloud DVR features in a beta capacity since late 2017, but it will be launching officially in the spring. AT&T said in December that additional features are planned for DirecTV Now, including support for 4K video, individual profiles, and more on-demand titles. According to A...

http://ift.tt/1GZDATU Following the release of iOS 11.2.5 on January 23, Apple stopped signing older versions of iOS 11, including iOS 11.2, iOS 11.2.1, and iOS 11.2.2. iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch owners who have upgraded to iOS 11.2.5 will no longer be able to downgrade to earlier versions of iOS. Apple routinely stops signing older versions of software updates after new releases come out in order to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date. iOS 11.2.5 is now the only version of iOS 11 that can be installed on iOS devices by the general public, but developers and public beta testers can download iOS 11.3 , an update that is being beta tested ahead of a spring release. Discuss this article in our forums from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories http://ift.tt/2nqmCfL

http://ift.tt/2GwYOPf Over the course of the last few months, several companies have decided to end development on apps for the Apple Watch, focusing instead on Apple's iOS platform. The latest company to nix its Apple Watch app is Slack. If you're unfamiliar with Slack, it's a team communication and collaboration platform for businesses. In an update to its iOS app today, Slack eliminated its standalone Apple Watch app. Slack customers will, however, still be able to respond to incoming messages on their Apple Watch thanks to rich notifications. Apple Watch users, there's now one iOS app for all of your needs. We've removed the standalone Watch App, but rest assured, receiving and replying to messages from your wrist works the same as before. It's like two for the price of one, but with apps. Slack's Apple Watch app, like many of the Apple Watch apps that have been abandoned, was never particularly useful, so it's no surprise Slack has decided n...

http://ift.tt/2ry0gve Now that the HomePod launch is just around the corner, should you spend your money on Apple's smart speaker or Libratone's? Apple's HomePod is launching February 9. Other than what Apple has told us we're still in the dark about its capabilities and features. Are you considering buying it? Or have you had your eye on Libratone's Zipp? If you're wondering what the difference is between the two, and whether you should grab the Zipp or go for the HomePod, we've got some information to help you decide. What's the difference between Apple's HomePod and Libratone's Zipp? Other than the physical differences, you might be wondering what makes the Zipp and HomePod stand out from each other. They're both speakers. They both support Airplay. So what makes them different? For one thing, Siri. HomePod connects to your iPhone or iPad and gives you and your family access to Apple's personal assistant. You can ask Siri...

http://ift.tt/2nuAzJJ Spotify is doubling down on free music and has begun testing a standalone app that offers a station-based streaming music experience similar to Pandora's original music service, reports Variety . "Stations," available on Android devices in Australia, is designed to let users stream free music from curated radio-like stations. The app's description says that Stations "is an experiment by Spotify that makes it easy for anyone to listen to great music." Stations is the easiest way to listen to the music you love. Totally free. When you have access to all the music in the world, finding the right thing to play can feel like a challenge. With Stations, you can listen immediately, and switching stations is simple and seamless--no searching or typing needed. As you listen, it learns what you like and creates personalised stations that you'll love. Based on the app's description, Stations is designed to make it quick and easy ...

http://ift.tt/2DS87eW Logitech today announced the launch of new features for its HomeKit-compatible Circle 2 security cameras via an update to the Logi Circle app. Notification Snapshots, a new in-app feature, are designed to provide a visual "snapshot" notification of an event whenever motion is detected by the Circle 2 camera. With this option, you'll get a visual representation of exactly what triggered the motion detection feature rather than a simple text-based notification that lets you know motion was detected. Snapshots will be sent via push notification and should let you react more quickly to incoming motion detection alerts. For customers who also subscribe to Logitech's Circle Safe premium service, Notification Snapshots offer up a zoomed-in view of the object or person that triggered the motion detection based on the Circle's Person Detection feature. Enabling Notification Snapshots on existing Circle 2 cameras will require you to downloa...

http://ift.tt/2ntTeEw Want to put your Live Photos to good use? Weave them together into delightful stories using Snapthreads. If you're a fan of capturing life's best snippets with Live Photos but struggle to figure out what to do with them once you've collected them, you're not alone. They look fantastic as wallpapers, of course, and they're fun to look at and pretend you're perusing a Harry Potter newspaper, but sharing them in a pleasant way is kind of tough — especially because they're only about three seconds long. Enter Snapthreads. Originally started as a way to combine Snapchat videos, Snapthreads allows you to weave your Live Photos and videos into one cohesive little movie that's perfect for sharing with friends and followers alike. Snapthreads - $1.99 - Download now Creator Becky Hansmeyer announced on her website earlier this week that version 1.5 of Snapthreads has officially launched, bringing with it a multitude of improvement...

http://ift.tt/2GAKCoc Xoxo, iMore <3 Valentine's Day is fast-approaching, and you know what's better than chocolates or flowers that'll die after a week-and-a-half? A brand new set of HomePods for you and your sweetie! All you have to do is show us how you groove! Our brand new contest and giveaway involves you snapping a photo or two, so here's how to enter: Take a picture (or Boomerang!) of you or you and your GF/BF/cat/fiance/wife/husband dancing together to your favorite song — the funnier, the better! — and post it on Instagram or Twitter. Make sure you have an iPhone in the image. Tag @iMoregram and #HomePodRomance as well as ONE FRIEND to make sure we see the image. Make sure your profile is public! Oh! And you have to totally be following us on Instagram if you aren't already! The contest will run from today until February 14th, 2018 . The winner will receive one HomePod for themselves and one HomePod for the person tagged in the photo...

http://ift.tt/nvEILJ Over on our YouTube channel , we've started a new monthly video series highlighting new, interesting, and useful iOS apps that we think are well worth checking out. With so many apps available in the iOS App Store, it can sometimes be hard to find new content, and it's easy to overlook some older apps that are also great. Our app lists will include both older and newer apps that we personally recommend and have used over the course of the month. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. This month's video includes apps that run the gamut from productivity to exercise, and we've also included our favorite game of the month. All of the apps we mention are listed below with download links: Bear (Free) - Bear is a writing, coding, and note taking app that has a clean, simple interface and a rich feature set. It's available on iOS and Mac devices, and it offers Apple Pencil support, todos, multiple export options, an Ad...

http://ift.tt/2DQHF0W The iOS 11.3 update , seeded to developers and public beta testers last week, introduces ARKit 1.5, an upgraded version of the set of tools developers can use to create augmented reality apps for the iPhone and the iPad. As it turns out, ARKit 1.5 can do a lot of neat things. It can map irregularly shaped surfaces for better detection of your surroundings, and it can also recognize and map vertical surfaces like walls and doors, so you can use AR to place and detect items on walls. Over the course of the last week, developers have been testing out ARKit 1.5 and sharing short demo videos on Twitter, providing a look at just what will be possible with augmented reality apps when iOS 11.3 is available. Vertical surface detection, for example, is shown off in the video below. A realistic-looking tunnel is projected on a wall, and while this doesn't have any immediate usage implications, it's a useful demo of how ARKit sees walls in iOS 11.3. So I...

http://ift.tt/2Gwugx3 AppleCare+ for Mac, previously limited to the United States and Japan , is available to purchase in Australia and New Zealand starting today. AppleCare+ extends a Mac's in-warranty hardware coverage to up to three years from its original purchase date, and adds up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of AU$149 or NZ$169 for screen or external enclosure damage, or AU$429 or NZ$499 for any other damage. AppleCare+ for Mac also includes 24/7 priority access to software support by chat or phone. It replaces the AppleCare Protection Plan for Mac, which was essentially the same as AppleCare+, but didn't include accidental damage coverage like Apple has long offered for devices such as the iPhone and iPad. The plan itself also has an upfront cost, which varies based on the type of Mac: Australia Mac mini: $119 iMac and iMac Pro: $199 12-inch MacBook: $299 MacBook Air: $299 Mac Pro: $299 13-inch MacBook ...