Mitchel Broussard

Apple's iPhone XR will go up for pre-order one week from today, and once the lower-cost smartphone is available customers will have the option of purchasing a see-through case sold by Apple. Spotted by Twitter user @ivanincanada and shared by 9to5Mac, iPhone XR press releases in countries like Canada mention "a clear case" priced at $55 CAD, or about $40 USD. The iPhone XR will come in white,...

Apple Music and lyric database Genius today announced a partnership, allowing Apple Music subscribers to visit Genius and play any song in full on the song's lyric page. This will work both on the Genius website and in its iOS app. The partnership will also beef up Apple Music's own lyric database with Genius's information, providing the music streaming service with lyrics to "thousands" of...

CVS Pharmacy has officially launched support for Apple Pay nationwide this week, a few months after Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that the retailer would be accepting Apple Pay later in the year. CVS has been gradually rolling out support for Apple Pay at its stores in recent weeks, and now it appears to be officially complete. Using Apple Pay, CVS customers can now pay for their items on...

Read-it-later app Pocket has announced a few new features coming to the iOS and Android versions of the app today, including an updated text-to-speech ability and a new design. After updating to Pocket 7.0, users will be able to listen to text-based articles that they've saved in their Pocket list more easily. With the "Listen" feature, articles can be saved into Pocket from around the...

Navigation app Waze today announced the nationwide rollout of Waze Carpool [Direct Link], a separate app that is specifically dedicated to allowing users to pick up rides with other passengers on the same route. Waze Carpool launched as a test in the Bay Area in 2016 and slowly expanded to additional states throughout the years, but this marks the first wide availability of the service (via The...

Google today held its annual "Made by Google" fall event, unveiling a new line of products that included the all-new Google Pixel 3 smartphone, a screen-based smart speaker, and a new tablet. Notably, Google pointed out at the beginning of its presentation that 2018 marks the 20 year anniversary of the search giant. The central announcement at the event was the 5.5-inch Google Pixel 3 and...

AmpliFi is one of the many brands in the mesh Wi-Fi router market, first launching its cubed router with a circular display in 2016. As the consumer brand for Ubiquiti Networks, AmpliFi today announced an expansion of its product line with the AmpliFi Instant whole-home Wi-Fi system, which is smaller than its previous router and more streamlined, since it can be set up in under two minutes....

Apogee today announced the Jam+, an updated version of its portable USB instrument input and output device that connects an electric guitar, bass, keyboard, or any acoustic instrument with pick-up directly to an iOS device, Mac, or PC for recording audio. The launch of the Jam+ comes eight years after the original Jam debuted in Apple stores worldwide. The new Jam+ has a rugged metal chassis ...

Following the launch of the iPhone XS and XS Max, owners began pointing out that the selfies captured on the new devices appear to apply a sort of smooth effect on the user's skin in certain lighting scenarios. This was quickly dubbed "BeautyGate," with some users accusing Apple of building the new iPhone models with an internal "beauty filter" for better-looking selfies that aren't 100% honest. ...

Apple is reportedly holding discussions with United Kingdom-based British Telecom (BT) over a partnership that would make BT's mobile brand EE a "major distributor" of Apple TV devices. Specifically, the telecommunications brand would offer Apple TVs to EE customers, coming pre-loaded with apps that deliver pay-TV content like BT Sport and channels from other broadcasters (via The Telegraph). ...

Facebook today announced "Portal," a new communications device for the home aimed at connecting friends and family members through video chat. There are two models of Portal: the 10-inch base model and a 15-inch "Portal+" model with a display that pivots between portrait and landscape modes. Each device includes AI technology, a Smart Camera, and Smart Sound. The Smart Camera follows where you ...

EU Code Week runs from October 6-21, and during the event Apple will offer more than 2,000 free coding sessions, with at least one free session every day in every Apple store in Europe. Like previous Today at Apple events, these sessions are open to all customers, and Apple says they are designed to help people of all ages and skill levels learn to code. Sessions include "How To: Get Started ...

I've never been a fan of magnetized iPhone mounts in cars because they require special iPhone cases that stick to the base of the mount to keep the smartphone in place. Since I enjoy using Apple's own leather and silicone cases, I haven't had the urge to ditch a case for one that would be compatible with a car mount. Although Scosche's Magic Mount Pro Charge still requires a few unruly...

B&H Photo has launched savings on Apple's 2017 line of MacBook Pro models, both with and without the Touch Bar. A few of the MacBook Pros in the sale are seeing lowest-ever prices for both 13-inch and 15-inch models, and in general all are beating out rival prices from Best Buy, Adorama, and Amazon. We've listed a few of the MacBook Pros on sale below, but be sure to visit B&H Photo to see the ...

BBC Radio DJ Charlie Sloth has announced this week that he is leaving the company, and according to various sources speaking to Music Business Worldwide, Sloth is headed to Apple Music. On the BBC, Sloth's last appearance on "The Rap Show" will be on November 3. Image via BBC News On an Instagram post announcing his departure, Sloth said that he "seeks a new challenge," and he will be...

Apple remained the world's most valuable brand this year, according to Interbrand's Best Global Brands Report for 2018. With its position at the #1 spot again, Apple has topped Interbrand's annual rankings for the sixth consecutive year. Apple's brand value grew by about 15 percent and increased to $214.5 billion, up from $184.1 billion in 2017. Apple beat out Google ($155.5 billion), Amazon ...

Amazon today revealed its latest streaming TV device, the Fire TV Stick 4K, which includes support for Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and HDR10+. The device also comes shipped with a revamped Alexa Voice Remote, all packaged together for $49.99. Amazon says the 4K stick is over 80 percent more powerful than the previous generation, with a new quad core, 1.7GHz processor for quicker load times and...

The Philips Hue app for iOS this week updated with support for Siri Shortcuts, allowing users to add their lights to a Shortcut to turn on scenes like "Movie Time." Siri will also now learn when people are using their favorite scenes and suggest them for quick activation on the iOS lock screen, in Siri search, and on the Siri Apple Watch face (via 9to5Mac). The Shortcuts app launched to the...

Last month Ikea began rolling out the HomeKit-compatible Trådfri smart plug to Sweden and a few other countries in the European Union. Today, HomeKit News spotted the same smart plugs in listings on the United States Ikea website, suggesting a launch in the U.S. sometime later this month. Ikea's Trådfri smart plug connects to the company's existing Trådfri Gateway ($29.99), which connects a...

MacRumors and Anker have partnered up again this week in a new sale that nets our readers as much as 42 percent off the popular accessory maker's iPhone cases, portable batteries, headphones, Lightning cables, and more. There are twelve total items in this sale, and all of the accompanying promo codes will last for about two weeks, expiring on Sunday, October 14. Note: MacRumors is an...