3dTouch
Latest
iOS 11.1 brings new emojis and important security updates
Apple has released iOS 11.1 and it comes with over 70 new emojis, the return of 3D Touch multitasking and a handful of bug fixes. Some of the new emojis include a cursing smiley face, a vampire, a hedgehog, Chinese takeout, a sandwich and a mermaid. Some existing emojis have been tweaked to improve their design as well. Once you update your OS, the new selections will appear in your keyboard, and if someone sends you one of the new emojis, they won't show up properly on your phone until you've updated.
Apple is reportedly reinventing the iPhone's fingerprint reader
Future iPhones may revolve around more than just an eye-catching curved display. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who frequently (though not always) has a knack for hardware scoops, believes that Apple is designing a whole new Touch ID fingerprint reader for future iPhones and iPads. In order for Apple to virtually eliminate bezels, it needs a reader that sits under the screen -- and that means a brand new optical sensor. Development is underway, the analyst says, but development is still early enough that the technology might not be ready in time for the 2017 iPhone.
Google adds an Incognito search mode on iOS
Sometimes you need to find something that you don't want to see listed in your Google search history, even while you're on the go. Chrome's Incognito browser sessions can be good for that, but a new tweak for the Google Search app on iOS makes it easy to open up disposable sessions there too. Additionally, it's set up so that if you leave the app and need to come back to the search, you can lock it using TouchID, so even on a shared device like an iPad, someone else can't easily see what was in there.
MLB's At Bat app now plays highlight videos on your lock screen
With iOS 10, Apple has expanded its devices' 3D touch applications from gimmicky afterthoughts to quick feature accessibility. It's also opened up what kind of interactions are possible from the lock screen. Some savvy developers have already combined the two, like those working on MLB's official At Bat app. Its latest upgrade pops up videos as notifications on your locked screen, which play with just a bit of 3D touch pressure.
Blu's Pure XR brings 3D Touch to Android for $299
Right on schedule, Blu has followed up last year's Pure XL with its latest affordable, feature-heavy (and unlocked) Android phone: the $299 4G LTE Pure XR. On its face, the XR version sports a curved, 5.5-inch 1080p SuperAMOLED screen with a (possibly trademark infringing) "3D Touch" feature similar to the iPhone 6s, but at about half the unlocked price. Under the hood, the XR runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow driven by a 2GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio P10 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of memory (plus microSD expansion).
Google adds even more 3D Touch support to its iOS app
The Google app on iOS has supported 3D Touch for awhile, but that's going, ahem, deeper. Now you can deep press on the big G at the bottom of the screen to start a new search query from anywhere within the app. Doing the same on Search and Maps results will offer previews of web pages and maps, respectively, while an even firmer press will open the links or Map. If you don't have an iOS device that supports the feature, long pressing will net you the same results. Beyond that, version 18's patch notes are barren aside from word that there are more Doodles and games coming in the future.
Facebook Messenger offers 3D Touch previews on your iPhone 6s
Add one more to the list of Facebook apps belatedly making use of recent iPhone features. Facebook has introduced 3D Touch support to Messenger on iOS, making your iPhone 6s or 6s Plus that much more useful when you're chatting up a storm. The update adds pressure-sensitive previews to seemingly everything -- you can peek at chats, contacts, locations, media, web links and even stickers. If you want to find out whether or not that conversation or photo is worth viewing, you'll want to get the new version right away.
Vudu's latest iPad app finally has picture-in-picture
Vudu, Walmart's answer to Netflix, has finally brought its app up to speed with Apple's latest hardware and iOS 9 features. The iPhone version supports 3D Touch, letting you access personal and "last watched" settings more quickly, and you can now get notifications for deals and other offers. Best of all, the iPad app supports iOS 9's multitasking option with picture-in-picture, letting you tweet and do other stuff while you halfheartedly re-watch Fear the Walking Dead. Hulu has had that feature for months, but Vudu users get bragging rights over Netflix subscribers, who still have to (ugh) switch between apps to multitask.
All of Todoist's Apple apps are getting an update today
To-do and reminder apps are a dime a dozen in the iOS App Store, but only a handful have stood the test of time. Wunderlist, Any.Do, Omnifocus and Todoist are probably the best options out there, and what you end up going with probably depends on your own particular workflow. If you're heavily invested in Apple's ecosystem, today might be the day to re-evaluate Todoist: the company just announced updates for its apps across the Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. It's also introducing a new browser plugin for Safari. I've had a chance to use the apps on my iPhone, Mac and Apple Watch over the last week or so, and while they don't change the core Todoist experience in any major way, it's a solid set of refinements to a mature and powerful app.
Facebook uses 3D Touch to preview links, profiles and photos
Facebook already let owners of the latest iPhones take advantage of' 3D touch in iOS for post shortcuts. With a staggered rollout, the social network is now releasing more features that leverage the tech, but it could take some time before they make it to your phone. The app will let you peek and pop to view profiles, take a closer look at photos or to preview web links, pages, groups and events. The app's icon is getting another shortcut too, an option that will take you directly to your timeline.
Roli's quirky musical keyboard is now an iPhone app
When ROLI introduced the Seaboard -- a quirky interpretation of the musical keyboard -- it was hard not be curious. But, at $2,000, that's likely where you remained. Even the smaller, more affordable Seaboard Rise was a little out of reach for many casual musicians wanting to try its tactile trickery (watch this to see what we mean). Today, however, there's a ROLI for everyone, as the British firm has just announced Noise: a virtual Seaboard in iPhone app form. If you want to know why Apple's 3D Touch matters, it's apps like this that will show you -- and Noise is much easier on your pocket (in fact, it's free).
Adobe Lightroom for iOS brings another desktop tool to mobile
Adobe continues to make its mobile photography apps more powerful, and a new update for Lightroom mobile on iOS delivers more of that. Leveraging another useful feature from the desktop, you can now employ a Point Curve mode to make adjustments in the Tone Curve and Split Toning tool. In other words, you now have more control when you add a tint or tone to the shadows and highlights of an image using Split Toning, for example. Lightroom mobile also allows you to "shoot through presets" now, too.
Outlook for iOS now supports 3D Touch
Microsoft's Outlook for iOS has quickly become one of the platform's best options for managing your inbox, and today it got a handy new feature: 3D Touch support. iPhone 6s and 6s Plus users can now press on the home screen icon to reveal options for quickly sending an email, adding an event to your calendar, or jumping straight into your calendar view. It doesn't seem that any 3D Touch gestures have been added anywhere else in the app, though -- you're limited to these quick actions from the home screen.
WSJ: Samsung's Galaxy S7 will have a pressure-sensitive display
Nine months is a long time in the smartphone industry, so it should come as no surprise that Samsung is already preparing to launch the next iteration of its flagship smartphone. While the Korean smartphone maker may still be a few months away from showing us what's new, the Wall Street Journal has already caught wind of some of the features we can expect to see in the Galaxy S7. According to reporters, Samsung will include a "pressure-sensitive display and a new high-speed charging port" in its new devices, which are slated to launch in March.
Share your iPhone 6s' Live Photos on Tumblr
Tumblr is a bit more animated now thanks to Live Photo sharing from the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. The GIF-dominated social network's app on iOS bumped to version 5.0 and with that milestone brings support for the more prominent features on Cupertino's latest handsets. In addition to easy sharing for your animated selfies, Tumblr's making use of 3D Touch to view them. If you have a 6s or 6s Plus, 9to5Mac notes that when you're scrolling through the dashboard and see the Live Photo icon over an image, simply deep-press on your device and it'll play the motion and audio captured with the photo.
Instagram brings '3D Touch'-like functionality to Android
When Apple rolled out its latest handsets, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, the company took great pains to highlight a snazzy feature called "3D Touch". With the help of a pressure sensitive screen, users can more efficiently access the phone's various menus and options. Turns out, Instagram is working on a very similar feature for its Android app, no pressure sensitive screen required.
Wunderlist's iOS app uses 3D Touch to increase productivity
The company behind to-do list app Wunderlist may have been purchased by Microsoft, but that's not stopping it from churning out fresh updates. Following a new version of its Android app, Wunderlist for iOS now supports 3D touch, and the feature comes in quite handy. From the home screen on your iPhone, a long press on the app's icon gives you access to the quick add feature for easily logging those reminders. Thanks to Wunderlist's Smart Due Dates, that quick add tool automatically assigns deadlines when you include words like "today," "tomorrow" and "Friday." It also lets you know how many items you have due that day and selecting that option takes you straight to those most pressing tasks.
Amazon Video gets a bunch of new features on iOS
Amazon has released a ton of new features for its Video app. The update includes 3D touch support, Next Up (which is basically auto-play), picture-in-picture and X-Ray, which offers a wealth of IMDB information and trivia at the touch of a button. Even though some of these features are iPad exclusive (like picture-in-picture) they can help Amazon stand up against competition like Netflix when content alone won't carry the day. The 3D touch option is only available on Apple's latest smartphone offerings, the 6s and 6s Plus, and lets you access a number of features faster, but offers nothing in the way of exclusive functionality. Also, the app has been customized for the iPad Pro, meaning Amazon-exclusive content is bigger and better than it's ever been before. What more could you ask for?[Image credit: AOL]
Native Instruments uses 3D Touch for better mobile beat making
Native Instruments is a huge player in the music production and DJ world. Its Traktor DJ software and (myriad) hardware controllers are a favorite with digital crate diggers. The company also manages to squeeze Traktor (and Maschine) into surprisingly comprehensive iOS apps -- but there's obviously a trade off. That gap in functionality shrinks a little today with iMaschine 2, which has the ability to make complete songs (not just loops), and puts Apple's 3D Touch -- a feature that's ripe for music making apps such as these -- to clever use.
Periscope's skip-ahead update hits mobile, with 3D Touch on iOS
Periscope's latest update hit the web late last week, and today it's live across Android and iOS devices, with some special twists. Mobile users can now fast-forward and rewind through replays, as promised. The app's Global Map has a few more functions, as follows: Zoom in on a location and the map will show live broadcasts (red dots) and replays (blue dots) from the past 24 hours. Anyone with Periscope on an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus can use 3D Touch to press down on the app icon and pull up a menu of options: Search People, Teleport (which takes you to a random live stream), Broadcast Mutuals and Broadcast. Android users finally get pinch-to-zoom in this update, as well. [Image credit: Periscope]
