Mitchel Broussard

A new update to the Philips Hue operating software within the popular iOS app has brought about a few changes to the way the lighting system functions with third-party accessories. Specifically, the app will no longer support third-party bulbs that function with the ZigBee wireless protocol, including the GE Link LED and Cree Connected LED bulbs (via CNET). Introduced on both the first...

As it looks to find a better foothold in the Indian smartphone market, Apple today reduced the price of the bestselling iPhone 5s in the country by nearly half of what it sold for in September (via CNET). Officially, the 2013 iPhone has been reduced from 44,500 Rupees ($665) to 24,999 Rupees ($370) in an effort by Apple to make the two-year-old smartphone more attractive to users in India,...

As her world tour promoting the 2014 album "1989" came to an end this month, singer Taylor Swift took to twitter to announce an upcoming collaboration between herself and Apple Music in the form of a new concert film called "The 1989 World Tour LIVE." The backstage film will be published exclusively on Apple Music on December 20. The Apple Music exclusive documentary was filmed on one leg of ...

Throughout the week, MacRumors writers and editors have been sharing their gift guides to help our readers pick out the best surprises for everyone on their holiday list this year. Following Juli and Joe, today's my turn to detail a list of Apple-related products perfect for gift giving. This third gift guide was written by me, Mitchel Broussard, with a focus on the third-party accessories I...

Apple appears to be rolling out a new feature in its App Store on iOS to note when an app available on iOS is universally compatible with the fourth generation Apple TV. As pointed out by iFun.de [Google Translate], the new feature is still in the early phases, as universal compatibility with the Apple TV is currently marked as "SF.UniversalAppleTV" rather than a simple "Apple TV" title as is...

GoPro today announced an update to its iOS app that will bring Apple Watch integration to users of the popular outdoor recording hardware. The new Apple Watch features will give users access to a GoPro camera's controls, letting them preview their shot, toggle between capture modes, begin and end recording, and even add HiLight tags to important moments in a video. Also introduced in the...

Microsoft today officially launched its virtual assistant Cortana as a downloadable app for iOS and Android platforms (via Business Insider). Similar to Apple's Siri personal assistant, Cortana allows Windows users to set reminders, preview the weather, and answer basic questions thanks to integrated internet search abilities. Other Cortana for iOS and Android features include the following: •S...

Apple today introduced a new pair of headphones onto its online storefront that support an iPhone's Lightning connector in lieu of a traditional 3.5mm headphone jack (via The Verge). The "Audeze EL-8 Titanium Closed-Back Headphones" will run users $799.95 and are being touted by Audeze as the "world’s first headphones with a fully integrated Apple Lightning cable." The included Lightning...

Rovio, the company behind the successful Angry Birds mobile franchise, today announced that its current CEO Pekka Rantala will be stepping down from the role after just one year in office. As Retuers reported, Rantala's time at the company included multiple job cuts and restructuring plans within Rovio, and his tenure coincided with the company's first reported profit decline since the launch of A...

Apple continues to ramp up promotion of the new Apple TV, building on its series of advertisements focusing on the television shows and games available to users on the set-top box. As noticed by MacRumors reader Jordan, the company has begun to expand its previous colorful billboard campaign by featuring content available on the new box, including an ad themed after The Simpsons. Image via Jord ...

Apple's new first party iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case launched quietly overnight onto the company's online store, and now this morning a handful of sites around the web are publishing reviews for the new accessory. Most reviewers agree that it's time Apple acknowledged the lesser battery life of the 4.7 inch iPhone 6s, when in comparison to its 5.5 inch iPhone 6s Plus alternative, but some still...

Apple today quietly launched a new iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case that will prolong the smartphone's talk time and internet use up to a total of 25 and 18 hours respectively (via CNET). The case's outside material compares similarly to the company's previous line of silicone accessories, with an added hump sitting in the middle of the backside where the extra battery rests. Charge your iPhone...

A new collection of 50 music videos by The Beatles has hit the iTunes Store today and comes packed in with remastered versions of the band's most popular singles along with a sampling of "mini-movies" the quartet made together (via MacNews). The $26.99 collection, dubbed The Beatles: 1+, is divided up into 27 music videos of the group's #1 hit singles from the United Kingdom and United States, as ...

Just under five years after the beginning of the patent dispute between tech giants Apple and Samsung, the companies yesterday agreed to a settlement of $548 million to be paid by Samsung, as ordered by the San Jose federal court hosting the trial (via FOSS Patents). Samsung is said to now be waiting for Apple's official invoice of the settlement, and if it arrives by the end of day on December...

Uber yesterday announced SPOT, a new initiative to make sure drivers and riders experience less hassle finding one another in dark or crowded areas. The technology will allow someone calling for an Uber to designate a specific color so that their driver can easily spot them when arriving at the pickup location. SPOT is the latest experiment in our ongoing effort to make Uber pickups as...

ESPN today announced an update to its iOS app that will let users stream live sporting events from the separate WatchESPN service directly within the core app, a feature that would previously redirect users to a separate download of WatchESPN. Specifically concerning videos, the ESPN app before today's update only allowed for short clips and game highlights. “Offering the convenience of live ...

Nuance Communications today announced the launch of its voice dictation and productivity app, Dragon Anywhere, for iOS devices. Although the app includes a bevy of document management and enterprise-focused features, its main selling point is its continuous, cloud-based dictation that lets users create and edit documents without a time or length limit set in place. “Expanding Dragon Anywhere ...

A coalition of authors and well-known booksellers have come forth to back Apple in a petition to overturn a recent ruling that stated the company was liable in conspiring to fix the prices of electronic books when its iBooks store launched on the iPad in 2010 (via Cult of Mac). Together, the Authors Guild, Authors United, the American Booksellers Association, and Barnes & Noble have filed a...

United Airlines today announced a plan to equip its customer service representatives in each United States-based hub with Apple's iPhone 6 Plus. The airline said that the plan will allow each rep to assist passengers' needs faster while giving them access to "additional operational information" without needing to search for outside help. "Our employees told us they needed better tools to serve ...

Developer Kevin Smith, who previously demonstrated a version of the MAME emulator running on the new Apple TV, has now made some tweaks to existing open source tools to allow game streaming from a PC to the new Apple TV. Smith took advantage of the Moonlight iOS open source project based on NVIDIA's GameStream, modifying it to run on tvOS. Using this modified version of Moonlight iOS, Smith...