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Leaked Apple support app could save you a trip to the store
The Genius Bars in Apple's retail stores are supposed to be convenient ways to answer questions and get repairs, but the ever-growing deluge of customers sometimes makes it a pain. Ever waited 20 minutes just to get a Lightning cable replaced? Well, the Cupertino crew may have a clever way to speed up that wait time... and in some cases, save you a trip altogether. Both uSwitch and leaker Sonny Dickson understand that Apple is working on a support app for iOS that would help you get the fix you need. The app would narrow down the cause of your problem by asking questions, and offer chances to contact support, book a Genius Bar appointment or (if it's a relatively minor issue) fix it yourself through how-to guides. Think of it as Apple's support website distilled into a simpler, more powerful form.
Pepsi Phone comes out of the blue in China
We don't exactly know why, but China seems to have a thing for the Pepsi brand. Following the Pepsi edition Oppo N1, another company from the Far East is launching a new device that's simply dubbed the Pepsi Phone. From afar, you may mistake this aluminum device as a rebadged Oppo R7 Plus, but it's actually a variant of the $250 Koobee H7 featuring the same 5.5-inch 1080p display (maybe IPS LCD?) with 2.5D glass, MediaTek MT6592 1.7GHz octa-core processor, 16GB internal storage, 2GB RAM and backside touch fingerprint sensor -- it's likely an older version, though, judging by its thick metallic border like the one on the Huawei Mate 7. It also runs on Koobee's customized Android 5.1 with a Pepsi theme out of the box.
This fitness tracking app pays you to walk more
Having a hard time motivating yourself to exercise? What if somebody offered to pay you work out? That's the idea behind Bitwalking -- an app, digital currency and marketplace that pays its users 1BW$ (Bitwalking dollar) for every 10,000 steps they take.
Oculus Concepts collects experimental mobile VR 'games' in one spot
Virtual reality is nothing if not an awesome font for weird little experiences, but they can be kind of difficult to find. Some are on Steam, some are available elsewhere. Oculus is hoping that Oculus Concepts, its new section of the Gear VR's Oculus Store will make that easier. Concepts, like the name suggests, is a place where developers can toss their games and apps that might not be ready for primetime but are still worth checking out. One of the experiences shown off in official imagery is The Night Cafe: An Immersive Tribute to Van Gogh which was part of the Oculus Mobile VR Jam earlier this year. Like the company notes, some of the biggest VR games hit that status because they were released to the public early. So if you have a shiny new Gear VR and are looking to check out something aside from Netflix, here you go.
Chill optional: 51 percent of US internet users watch Netflix
Netflix's robust content library has helped it top nearly 70 million subscribers worldwide. Not surprisingly, the majority of those come from the US, where the streaming service has over 43 million customers alone. And, for the most part, people here seem to be fond of it. According to a survey conducted by research firm RBC Capital Markets, and first reported by Quartz, more than half of US internet users say they've used Netflix to watch a movie or TV show in the past 12 months. The study also asked people about what other video offerings they use regularly: YouTube came in a close second, right behind Netflix, followed by Amazon Instant Video, Hulu and HBO Go, respectively.
Virtual reality shooter 'Gunjack' is ready for Samsung's Gear VR
Just in time for today's launch of Samsung's consumer Gear VR, developer and publisher CCP is making Gunjack available for the headset. The virtual reality game, powered by Unreal Engine 4, is an arcade shooter that takes places in the EVE sci-fi universe. Once you strap in, you'll play the role of a gun turret operator, with the goal being to protect your mothership from some menacing pirates. In an interview earlier this year, Gunjack's producer told us that the title was different from Valkyrie, CCP's upcoming VR dogfighting simulator, as it required to be developed from the ground-up and with mobile gaming in mind. If you have your shiny new Gear VR all set up, you can grab Gunjack right now from the Oculus store for $10.
Samsung's consumer Gear VR is available now for $99
We knew it was coming, but now it's finally here. Samsung's newly improved virtual reality headset, the Gear VR, is launching today in the US for $99. This iteration of the Gear VR is, without a doubt, the most consumer-ready VR headset to date. One of its downsides is that it only works with Samsung's latest smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge and Galaxy S6 Edge+ -- but that's great news for people who own handsets. As you may recall, Samsung's Gear VR is powered by Oculus software, and services like Hulu have already announced compatibility with the device. If you're Stateside, you can grab the Gear VR now from retailers including Amazon and Best Buy. As for worldwide availability, an Oculus spokesperson says that will be announced "soon."
FCC Chairman gives T-Mobile's Binge On the thumbs up
T-Mobile's Binge On feature, which allows subscribers to watch videos from select services without using up their data, has raised eyebrows... and net neutrality concerns. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, however, isn't only OK with it, he also praised the plan, according to Ars Technica. "Its clear in the Open Internet Order that we said we are pro-competition and pro-innovation. Clearly this meets both of those criteria. It's highly innovative and highly competitive," Wheeler replied when a reporter asked him about Binge On at the FCC's open meeting for November.
Durex thinks a condom emoji can help promote safe sex
Look, there's already a taco emoji, so it doesn't seem far fetched to have one that represents a condom as well. After all, despite their obvious differences, they both have something in common: pleasure. That's why Durex, a brand of male contraceptives, is hard at work advocating for a condom emoji. "An official safe sex emoji will enable young people to overcome embarrassment around the discussion of safe sex," the company says, adding that it can "encourage conversation and raise awareness of the importance of using condoms in protecting against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV and AIDS."
Google to move all of its cloud services under one umbrella
Google's shuffling its alphabet again. The company announced on Thursday that it will condense all of its cloud-based internet services -- including Google for Work, Cloud Platform, and Google Apps -- under a single company that has yet to be named. "This new business will bring together product, engineering, marketing and sales and allow us to operate in a much more integrated, coordinated fashion," Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in a statement. Former CEO and founder of VMWare Diane Greene is expected to head up the new company.
Google Fit gets real-time stats and grabs data from more wearables
Just in time to outfit your holiday workout regimen, Google its updating its Fit app with a few new features. First, the activity-tracking software now provides real-time distance, steps, pace and calorie stats for your running, walking and riding workouts. When you come to a stop for some push-ups, sit-ups or squats, you can use your Android Wear device to keep a tally of your reps before adding the total to your daily activity log. Google Fit also pulls in sleep and nutrition info from other apps and fitness trackers. If you're using MyFitnessPal (and a host of others) to track meals or Sleep as Android, Xiaomi Mi Band, Mi Band 1S, Sony Smartband 2 or the Basis Peak to keep tabs on how well you're resting, you'll be able access those details for a more complete picture of your overall wellness. Looking to give it a shot? You can grab the latest version of the Android app from Google Play right here.
SeatGeek lets you easily resell tickets, transfer them to friends
SeatGeek has made a name for itself with its mobile app, which lets you snap up tickets for sporting events, concerts and the like, while also giving you a view of your seat. But starting today, you can also use the new SeatGeek Marketplace to resell tickets without much fuss. You just need to drag a PDF of your ticket onto your SeatGeek account page and the service will grab all of the relevant event details for you. The company also uses its pricing data to suggest a potential price for your ticket that'll get you the best return. Payments are handled using Venmo, which means you won't have to give up your bank account details to SeatGeek, and the company takes a 15 percent cut from the sale. You can also transfer tickets to friends from SeatGeek's mobile apps and charge them at the same time (there's no transaction fee for friend transfers).
iPad Pro review: Big and powerful, but it won't replace your laptop
Here we are. Apple, the same company that once swore off styluses, and dismissed hybrid PCs as experiments gone wrong, is now selling a laptop/tablet mashup of its own. One that accepts pen input, at that. The new 12.9-inch iPad Pro went on sale last week, and though it is, in a sense, just an oversized iPad, it's also the closest thing we've seen yet to a hybrid device from Apple. With the screen real estate of a laptop, and the speed of a laptop, and various keyboard accessories allowing you to type on it like a laptop, the Pro seems like it might indeed be able to replace your notebook. In fact, Tim Cook himself has suggested as much in interviews. But with a starting price of $799, it isn't for everybody. And even then, it won't replace your laptop so much as complement it.
LG throws its hat into the crowded mobile payment game
You might not be terribly excited about mobile payments, but there's a reason why there are so many out there, including Apple Pay, Android Pay and, yep, Samsung Pay. All of those companies get a cut of every user purchase, which can add up to a lot of much-needed extra revenue. So it's not terribly surprising that LG has launched a mobile payment system of its own called (wait for it) LG Pay. The company didn't provide a lot of details, other than saying it will only be available in Korea for now. However, LG promised TechCrunch it would reveal more in the "coming weeks," so it may have plans to launch the service in other markets later on.
Skype updates Android app so you can save video messages
Next time you receive a memorable video message on Skype that you want to keep forever, you can tap it and then choose Save to Gallery if you're using an Android device. The messaging application has released an update that adds the capability to its Android version, along with a few other features. For instance, you can now long-press a conversation on your Recents tab to bring up a new toolbar, which gives you quick access to delete, mark as read and mute notifications buttons. The new app gives you an easy way to share images from your gallery to a group convo and forward images from one conversation to another, as well. In addition, you can now forward Mojis (these are short reaction video clips similar to GIFs) and take advantage of a better search function. Skype has already rolled out its latest Android version, and you can download the app with all these features from Google Play if you haven't yet.
Stagelight teaches you how to make music on your Android phone
If you like the idea of learning to compose music on your phone, your go-to app has typically been GarageBand on IOS. But what if you're rocking an Android phone and would rather not switch? Don't worry, you're covered. Open Labs has released a pocket-sized Android version of Stagelight, its music-making app. It's free to get started, and includes lessons that help you write your first tracks. You pay only as you expand your talents -- like with GarageBand, there's an in-app store that offers more samples and extra features. While you probably won't produce a hot track solely on your phone (you can sync with Stagelight across devices), this could be what you need to either understand the basics of music or make a rough cut that you can polish later.
Oppo embraces near-stock Android to sell more phones beyond China
It's relatively easy to buy Oppo's smartphones in many places around the world. However, it's still obvious that they were originally designed for Chinese buyers, who tend to favor heavy customization -- how is Oppo supposed to make a name for itself abroad? By stripping things down, apparently. The company has released a beta version of Project Spectrum, a firmware release that gets much closer to stock Android. You'll still find signature Oppo features like a custom camera app and screen-off gestures, but you'll see much more of Google's original interface (specifically, Lollipop). It's only available to download for the Find 7 and Find 7a at the moment, but there are plans for both broader hardware support and a Marshmallow upgrade in the months ahead.
Samsung's latest smartphone camera loves the low light
Are you sick of disappointing low light photos taken on your smartphone? Samsung might have a solution for you. At an investor conference in Korea, the telecommunications brand announced a new camera called BRITECELL that excels in darker conditions. The camera manages to achieve brighter, sharper results by getting rid of the traditional Bayer filter layout used in most smartphone cameras. This is a filter that turns pixels green and blocks light from hitting the sensors, making photos darker. Samsung has traded these green pixels for white ones that allow more light to pour through the lens. More light means brighter photos. Simple, right?
Google's iPhone app gets better (looking)
Not to be outdone by Microsoft's new Bing app for the iPhone, Google has just released version 10 of its main iOS search-focused app. It's not a massive revision like Microsoft released today but rather a tweak to put the iOS app on par with its Android counterpart. The biggest change comes in Google Now: cards are more clearly organized by different categories like "upcoming," "updates," "stories to read" and so forth. While they weren't exactly displayed randomly before, these new headings help make more sense out of the various info Google Now will throw at you at any given time. Google says "timely info" like details relating to upcoming travel will show up first, while less time-sensitive cards will show up lower down your feed.
Vine's new feature lets you remix audio on top of existing clips
Sometimes you come across a Vine that you'd like to put your own spin on. To help make that process a little easier, the app now sports a remix tool that allows you to create new audio for the looping footage. To replace the sound on any Vine, simply hit the menu icon under a video (the three dots) and select "Make an audio remix." From there, you can use your phone's camera to capture your audio or select a video from your Camera Roll to pull sounds from. When browsing videos in your timeline, a music note will indicate which ones are remixes. That icon will let you view the source material, too. This is the latest in Vine's new features that help you get the perfect sound for those looping videos, following "Snap to Beat" and access to popular song clips. What's more, there's a new search that allows you to search for a clip based on the song it uses. The remix tool is available on iOS starting today and the revamped search is inside both iOS and Android versions of the app.
