Mitchel Broussard

Google today announced an incoming update to its Google Maps for iOS app that will let users add pit stops onto their trips without leaving navigation mode. First introduced on Android last fall, the company said that the pit stop feature will be available in any country where Google Maps navigation is offered, which is "more than 100 worldwide." From navigation mode, users will just need to...

Rumors surrounding the 4-inch "iPhone 5se" continue today with new information pointing to the possibility of Apple dropping the "5" from the name altogether and simply calling it the "iPhone SE." As reported by 9to5Mac, the new name would be a shift in focus on the 4-inch iPhone's "enhanced and special edition" status, making it stand out from the numerically named crowd of the iPhone family. ...

The long-running dispute between Apple and Samsung continues, with an appeals court today handing the Cupertino-based company a defeat by invalidating two Apple patents and ruling a third had not been infringed by Samsung (via Bloomberg). The ruling, which covers Apple patents related to slide-to-unlock, autocorrect, and interactive phone number features, also threw out the original $119.6 million...

A new report from French newspaper Les Echos (via iPhon.fr) [Google Translate] states that Apple Pay will be making its way to France by the end of the year. The introduction of Apple's mobile payment solution will be a gradual rollout, with "a small handful of major French banks" supporting the service in a pilot program period of three to five months. No specific date was given for the...

Apple recently hired Frederic Jacobs, one of the developers of the secure messaging app "Signal," which is notably known as the encrypted messaging service that Edward Snowden uses "every day." Jacobs will be working on the CoreOS team as an intern this coming summer, where he'll help the company beef up the safety measures and encryption of iOS devices across the board (via Business Insider). ...

Apple yesterday released a small update focused on stability improvements and bug fixes to Smart Keyboard users on the iPad Pro (via iMore). When plugged into the 12.9-inch iPad, the device will notify users of an Accessory Update for the Smart Keyboard, which can be updated and installed thanks to the Smart Connector joining the iPad and the keyboard. The new update is mainly focused at...

Facebook today announced the rollout of its long-requested expansion of the simple "Like" button, with the introduction of "Reactions" onto its web and mobile platform. The update, meant to give users an easier and more diverse way to react to a friend's post, will begin slowly rolling out to Facebook users worldwide today. To use Reactions, all you have to do is hover over the traditional...

Five months after launching to the public, iOS 9 has now been installed on 77 percent of active iOS devices as of February 22, according to the newest chart shared by Apple on the App Store support page. That adoption rate has remained static at 77 percent since the last update on iOS numbers occurred on February 8. Compared to the first adoption rate status update of the year on January 11,...

After an announcement last August and a successful pilot program in October, MasterCard recently announced that the company will begin expanding a feature which allows facial recognition software to act as biometric security in mobile payments (via Fortune). Unofficially dubbed "selfie pay," the program lets users confirm an online payment by holding up a smartphone's camera to their face and...

The Seiko wristwatch that Steve Jobs wore in the famous 1984 Macintosh photo shoot sold for $42,500 in an online auction on Saturday (via CNET). Consigned by Jobs' former house manager Mark Sheff, the watch's band was said to be "in heavily worn condition," but still managed to draw the interest of 14 bidders and about 5,600 page views before closing out for $42,500. The watch wasn't the...

Apple CEO Tim Cook discussed a range of topics in an interview with Fortune posted online today. Although Cook skirted the topic of the Apple Car, eventually Fortune brought up the recent hiring of automobile industry people by Apple, and asked Cook to put the rumors to rest once and for all. Yeah, I’m probably not going to do that. The great thing about being here is we’re curious people....

Apple has been awarded the top spot on Fortune's list of the "World's Most Admired Companies," marking the ninth consecutive win for the Cupertino-based company on the list. After Apple, Alphabet (Google's parent company), Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and Walt Disney round out the top five spots. There's a new AAA standard in corporate America: the one-two three punch of Apple, Alphabet, and...

Apple today announced a "Trade Up With Installments" payment plan that will let users trade in an old iPhone, Android, or Windows Phone and put the value of that device towards a new 24-month iPhone installment plan (via CNET). Available only in Apple Stores within the United States, the new program is a combination of Apple's classic reuse and recycle program and the newer 12-month iPhone...

Earlier in January, Microsoft announced that it would bring a group chat feature to the Skype app on mobile devices over "the next few weeks," but never locked down a specific launch window. Today, the popular video chatting app will begin to support group video calling, similar to its web counterpart, on iOS and Android (via Engadget). The new feature will allow as many as 25 participants...

Philips Hue today tweeted an open call for beta testers to join in putting the company's new and overhauled lighting app through its paces. Users will help Philips "shape a whole new lighting experience" through the beta test, which has already mostly been tested by the company and is seeking fans of Hue to help "with the last finishing touches." Great news! We’re running a beta program for ...

In a new article posted yesterday by Bloomberg, interesting details have been shared about one of Apple's secretive iPhone recycling plants. Detailing the "after-life of an iPhone," the piece focuses on the plant located in an industrial park in Hong Kong’s Yuen Long district and run by Apple contractor Li Tong Group, whose sole purpose is the deconstruction and recycling of iPhones, iPads, and ...

App developer Matt Wiechec yesterday launched the new game A Tiny Game of Pong [Direct Link], which lets users engage in the classic 1970's video game of Pong using the Apple Watch's Digital Crown to control their paddle. The free app version comes with an endless arcade mode that pits you against the high scores of your friends, Game Center integration, and allows for standalone play when the...

Apple is working on electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding that will individually shield most of the device's major chips, helping to maintain the iPhone's performance as its power and complexity and thus potential for interference increases (via ETNews). The company has used EMI shielding on large portions of the iPhone's circuit board in the past, and a few individual chips have included...

Apple is adding Wistron as a supplier of the so-called "iPhone 5se," in addition to Foxconn Electronics (via DigiTimes). The latter will still lead production on the next-generation 4-inch iPhone, but Apple is ensuring that manufacturing goes as smoothly as possible by introducing a secondary supplier in Wistron. Apple has been trying to separate its orders to different ODMs to avoid risks....

Danny Boyle's Steve Jobs film continued its awards season wins last night, with Kate Winslet taking home the Best Supporting Actress award at The British Academy of Film and Television Arts on Sunday (via The Guardian). Winslet dedicated her win at the BAFTA ceremony to women who are the subject of unjustified body shame criticism, which she faced as a young woman trying to break into the...