Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Sony Announces Xperia 8 With A 6-inch Display And Dual Camera: Specifications, Features, Price


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Some Developers Facing 'Several Problems' Porting iPad Apps to the Mac With Catalyst

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One of macOS Catalina's biggest new features for developers is Mac Catalyst—initially known as Project Catalyst—which Apple says makes porting iPad apps to the Mac as easy as checking a box in Xcode.

However, more work is required for the iPad apps to truly resemble native Mac apps, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that some developers have encountered "several problems" with Catalyst so far.


For example, the report claims that James Thomson had to work harder than he expected to get his popular PCalc calculator app for iPad to run well on the Mac. Thomson said the Mac version initially "looked like an iPad app floating on a larger Mac screen," so he had to redesign much of the user interface.

Thomson added that some older Macs struggle to handle Catalyst-based apps that use Apple's high-level 3D graphics framework SceneKit.

Lukas Burgstaller, developer of the RSS reader Fiery Feeds for iPad, also "ran into all sorts of walls" trying to adapt the iPad app to the Mac interface using Catalyst, but the report does not mention any specific issues he faced.

On the consumer side of things, the report notes that Catalyst results in users paying twice for the same app across iOS and macOS.

"As a user, I don't want to pay again just to have the same app," well-known developer Steven Troughton-Smith told Bloomberg. "As a developer, I don't want my users to have to make that decision."

Troughton-Smith touched on some of the issues developers are facing with Catalyst, noting that Mac versions of some apps can't hide the mouse cursor while video is playing, or may have issues with video recording, two-finger scrolling, or using the keyboard and full-screen mode in video games.

The report adds that two upcoming Catalyst apps that had been featured on Apple's website since June were removed this week, including comic book app DC Universe and the racing game Asphalt 9. It is unclear if the Mac apps are no longer planned or delayed, or if any of the Catalyst issues reported were a factor.

DC Universe for Mac preview on Apple's website prior to being removed

Netflix also confirmed that it has no plans to develop a Mac app using Catalyst at this time, according to the report.

Despite all of this, Troughton-Smith believes Catalyst is the "future of Mac app development," and he is impressed with many of the first apps. There might just be a few growing pains along the way.

macOS Catalina was widely released on Monday.


This article, "Some Developers Facing 'Several Problems' Porting iPad Apps to the Mac With Catalyst" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Tap Launches Second-Generation Wearable Keyboard With Gesture Controls

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Tap, the company that makes a futuristic, wearable keyboard, today announced the launch of its second-generation keyboard, the Tap Strap 2.

The Tap Strap 2 is similar in design to the original Tap Strap, fitting over the fingers and allowing for typing via a series of different finger taps.


Compared to the original Tap, the Tap Strap 2 offers up a new thumb ring glider and better mouse functionality that's more sensitive. Tapping on soft surfaces to type letters is better than it was with the original Tap version, and it now supports 10 hours of battery life.

It connects to devices via Bluetooth, and sports a new feature called AirMouse. With AirMouse, users can control iPads, smart TVs, set-top boxes like the Apple TV, and more using hand gestures.

AirMouse mode works out of the box without the need for calibration or software drivers. There are multiple modes of operation, which vary based on what the user needs to get accomplished.


In Mouse Mode, the Tap Strap 2 can be used to control a cursor, scroll, and click, just as one can do with a standard mouse. In Multimedia Mode, users can play, pause, adjust volume, or skip a track, and in Smart TV mode, users can navigate through menus, select items, and search for content to watch. There's also a separate selfie tap option for snapping photos from afar.

All of the modes work through different hand gestures, and the Tap Strap 2 is designed to anticipate what the person wearing the device wants to do. When a hand is horizontal, the Tap Strap 2 works in keyboard mode for typing via different finger taps. When the thumb is resting on a surface, it switches over to mouse mode, and when the hand is rotated vertically, it swaps over into AirMouse Mode.


Tap says that the Tap Strap 2 is designed to offer enhanced support for the iPad, offering up interactions like horizontal swipes, getting to the Home screen, and launching the app switcher.

In the future, Tap plans to expand its gesture-based capabilities to work for gaming and with AR and VR devices. Starting in 2020, developers will be able to create applications that incorporate AirMouse capabilities using an AirMouse SDK.

Tap Strap 2 can be purchased from the Tap website for $199.

Tag: Tap

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Linksys Introduces 'Linksys Aware' Service for Sensing Motion Using Mesh Wi-Fi

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Linksys today announced the launch of a new subscription service that lets you use some of the company's existing Velop mesh Wi-Fi router systems as motion-sensing security devices.


Dubbed Linksys Aware, the technology is initially compatible only with the company's Velop Tri-Band AC2200 routers, but will be rolling out to some of the brand's other mesh Wi-Fi products in a phased rollout.

Linksys Aware is able to sense motion in your house without the need to add cameras or other accessory devices, with the various mesh nodes detecting how movement in the vicinity affects Wi-Fi signals as the nodes communicate with each other.


Users can customize the sensitivity level of the system to filter out pets of various sizes, for example, and once the motion threshold is exceeded you'll receive a notification on your phone.

As the system doesn't involve a camera, there's no way to remotely check in on the detected motion to see what it is, but at least you'll be alerted if unexpected motion is detected in your home. Motion events are stored for 60 days, so you can check back to see a recent history by hour, day or week.


Linksys Aware is free for the first 90 days, after which a subscription priced at $2.99 monthly or $24.99 annually will be required. A firmware update and App Store app update will be rolling out today to add support for the feature.

With the discontinuation of its AirPort lineup of wireless routers, Apple has embraced Linksys as one of its primary third-party partners, selling several configurations of the Velop system online and in its retail stores.

Tag: Linksys

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iPhone and iPad Users Seeing 'iTunes Store is Unable to Process Purchases' Error When Opening Apps

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"The iTunes Store is unable to process purchases at this time. Please try again later."

If you are receiving this error when opening third-party apps on an iPhone or iPad today, you are not alone. We've been alerted to the issue by several MacRumors readers, and there are many more complaints flowing in on Twitter.


The cause of the issue is not yet known. Apple's system status page does not currently reflect any issues with the iTunes Store or App Store, but the page is often delayed. We'll update this story as new information becomes available.


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Apple Employees Help Transcribe Music for iOS 13's New Real-Time Lyrics Feature

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In an interview with WIRED, Apple Music head Oliver Schusser has revealed that Apple has a team of employees listening to songs and transcribing the lyrics to ensure they are accurate for iOS 13's new real-time lyrics feature:
In probably the most bizarre example of Apple spending to get the experience right, Schusser says that Apple has "a team of people listening to music and transcribing the lyrics" to ensure they're accurate enough for Apple Music's new time synced lyrics feature; "we don't get them from the usual sites."
The interview contains a few other notable tidbits from Beats 1 radio host Zane Lowe, including the possibility of the Apple Music Festival returning in the future and "some big new names" who will accompany Ebro Darden, Julie Adenuga, Matt Wilkinson, and himself as Beats 1 hosts in the future.

Full Interview: More radio, more live: where Apple Music's headed in 2020


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Apple product recalls & free repair programmes for iPhone & iPad

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Having trouble with your iPhone? Maybe you can get a free repair. Here are Apple's latest product recall programmes, including a iPhone 6S repair program for iPhones bought in 2019

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