A ‘new’ version of iTunes brings back apps and ringtones

Still need a way to manage your applications and ringtones in addition to your music, movies and other media on your iPhone? Well, there’s an app for that. Following iTunes’ massive overhaul (version 12.7 if you’re keeping track at home), the company has since released a version of the software that will let you continue to download and install apps to your handset via a desktop computer.

According to reddit though, it isn’t as cut and dried as installing the new version (12.6.3; yes, it’s a little confusing) and downloading apps. “Your iTunes library will still not be compatible after installing iTunes 12.6.3 on top of iTunes 12.7. You either need to revert to a backed up copy of your previous library, or you need to open iTunes while holding down the Option key (or Shift key on a Windows PC) on your keyboard, then choose ‘create a new library.’”

This new-old version of the software should work with any official ringtones you’ve snagged, audiobooks and iTunes U downloads. Now that this is out of the way, maybe Apple can get back to fully debugging iOS 11.

Via: 9to5Mac

Source: Reddit

SpiderMAV drone shoots ‘webs’ at walls to perch in place

Consumer drones have more or less conquered hovering, but are there easier ways to stay in place? Researchers from Imperial College London have a possible answer: The SpiderMAV, a UAV that shoots ropes that magnetically cling to surfaces to anchor itself in place.

Imperial College London’s Aerial Robotics Lab presented the SpiderMAV at the Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) conference in Vancouver last week. The UAV concept is a DJI Matrice 100 drone modified with two anchor-firing systems: A “perching’ emitter on top that uses compressed gas to shoot magnet-threads upward that reel in until taut, spider-style, and a “stabilizing” pod on the bottom that fires three anchors outward to keep the SpiderMAV in place.

The SpiderMAV isn’t fully operational: Once its anchors are deployed, it doesn’t have mechanisms to detach them. But the drone concept illustrates supplemental mechanisms that could help future drones perch in place to save power or stabilize for jostle-free camera shots, for example. But given the pace of drone tech (which is still struggling to implement ‘follow me’ features), it might be awhile before we see commercial UAVs do more than hover and fly.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: IEEE Spectrum

Microsoft’s Cortana finds answers inside your Skype chats

You can already count on a dash of AI assistance in some mobile messaging apps, whether it’s Google Assistant in Allo or the smart replies you find across iOS. But what if Skype is your chat app of choice? You’re covered: as of today, Microsoft is rolling out its Cortana assistant to the Skype apps for Android and iOS. You can talk directly to Cortana if you want to ask about directions, flights or the weather, but it promises to be the biggest help inside your normal conversations.

Skype now has smart replies that pop up based on what your contacts are saying as well as event-related activity. There are the usual canned responses, but Cortana will also recommend setting reminders, suggest restaurant options and provide movie reviews. The additions won’t exactly add a personal touch to your chats, but they could be a big help if you’re struggling to plan a night out or just don’t want to switch apps to get some helpful info.

Source: Skype Blog

What’s on TV: ‘Mr. Robot,’ ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ and ‘Lore’

This week Mr. Robot returns for its third season on USA, however on streaming we’re keeping an eye out for podcast-turned-TV show Lore, which will debuts its first full season Friday on Amazon Prime. Dynasty is back on TV for some reason, and Engadget favorite Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is also returning for a third season this week. Movie fans will want to snag Edward Wright’s Baby Driver on 4K Blu-ray, while gamers can dive into the latest LOTR game, Middle-earth: Shadow of War. Look after the break to check out each day’s highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).

Blu-ray & Games & Streaming

• War for the Planet of the Apes (VOD)
• Baby Driver (4K)
• Baseketball
• Bowfinger
• A Fish Called Wanda
• Othello (Criterion)
• Kick-Ass (4K)
• Planes, Trains & Automobiles (30th Anniversary Edition)
• Peanuts: Holiday Collection (4K)
• Middle-earth: Shadow of War (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
• The Evil Within 2 (Xbox One, PS4)
• Alteric (PS4)
• Always Sometimes Monsters (PS4)
• The Invisible Hours (PSVR)
• Radial-G: Racing Revolved (PSVR)
• Raid: World War II (PS4, Xbox One)
• Raiden V: Director’s Cut (PS4)
• Revolve (PSVR)

Monday

• Vikings/Bears, ESPN, 8:15 PM
• Lucifer, Fox, 8 PM
• The Big Bang Theory, CBS, 8 PM
• The Voice, NBC, 8 PM
• 9jkl, CBS, 8:30 PM
• Dancing with the Stars, ABC, 8 PM
• WWE Raw, USA, 8 PM
• Supergirl (season premiere), CW, 8 PM
• 3 Hikers, Starz, 9 PM
• Valor (series premiere), CW, 9 PM
• The Gifted, Fox, 9 PM
• Kevin Can Wait, CBS, 9 PM
• Me, Myself & I, CBS, 9:30 PM
• Scorpion, CBS, 10 PM
• The Brave, NBC, 10 PM
• The Good Doctor, ABC, 10 PM

Tuesday

• The Mindy Project, Hulu, 3 AM
• Christina P: Mother Inferior, Netflix, 3 AM
• The Flash (season premiere), CW, 8 PM
• 2017 Hip-Hop Awards, BET, 8 PM
• Finding Your Roots, PBS, 8 PM
• The Voice, NBC, 8 PM
• Lethal Weapon, Fox, 8 PM
• NCIS, CBS, 8 PM
• WWE Smackdown, USA, 8 PM
• The Middle, ABC, 8 PM
• Fresh Off the Boat, ABC, 8:30 PM
• DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (season premiere), CW, 9 PM
• Black-ish, ABC, 9 PM
• Bull, CBS, 9 PM
• The Mick, Fox, 9 PM
• This is Us, NBC, 9 PM
• Inside the NFL, Showtime, 9 PM
• Fantomworks, Velocity, 9 PM
• The Mayor, ABC, 9:30 PM
• Brooklyn Nine-nine, Fox, 9:30 PM
• Tales (season premiere), BET, 10 PM
• Undercover High (series premiere), A&E, 10 PM
• Cyberwar, Viceland, 10 PM
• Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, ABC, 10 PM
• Law & Order: True Crime, NBC, 10 PM
• NCIS: NO, CBS, 10 PM
• American Horror Story, FX, 10 PM
• The Challenge, MTV, 10 PM
• Tosh.0, Comedy Central, 10 PM
• The Therapist (season finale), Viceland, 10:30 PM
• 90s House, MTV, 11 PM

Wednesday

• Chance (season premiere), Hulu, 3 AM
• The Blacklist, NBC, 8 PM
• Empire, Fox, 8 PM
• The Goldbergs, ABC, 8 PM
• Survivor, CBS, 8 PM
• Lucha Underground, El Rey, 8 PM
• Riverdale (season premiere), CW, 8 PM
• Speechless, ABC, 8:30 PM
• Dynasty (series premiere), CW, 9 PM
• Modern Family, ABC, 9 PM
• Law & Order: SVU, NBC, 9 PM
• Seal Team, CBS, 9 PM
• Star, Fox, 9 PM
• American Housewife, ABC, 9:30 PM
• Mr. Robot (season premiere), USA, 10 PM
• Shannara Chronicles (season premiere), Spike TV, 10 PM
• Criminal Minds, CBS, 10 PM
• Chicago PD, NBC, 10 PM
• Designated Survivor, ABC, 10 PM
• Liar, Sundance, 10 PM
• Are You the One, MTV, 10 PM
• Channel Zero, Syfy, 10 PM
• You’re the Worst, FXX, 10 PM
• Garage Squad, Velocity, 10 PM
• South Park, Comedy Central, 10 PM
• Broad City, Comedy Central, 10:30 PM
• Rosehaven, Sundance, 11 PM

Thursday

• Bomb Scared, Netflix, 3 AM
• I Love You America (series premiere), Hulu, 3 AM
• Grey’s Anatomy, ABC, 8 PM
• Superstore, NBC, 8 PM
• Gotham, Fox, 8 PM
• Supernatural (season premiere), CW, 8 PM
• Bears/Packers, NFL Network, 8:30 PM
• The Good Place, NBC, 8:30 PM
• Arrow (season premiere), CW, 9 PM
• Scandal, ABC, 9 PM
• Van Helsing, Syfy, 9 PM
• The Orville, Fox, 9 PM
• Will & Grace, NBC, 9 PM
• Great News, NBC, 9:30 PM
• Chicago Fire, NBC, 10 PM
• Better Things, FX, 10 PM
• The Mist, Spike TV, 10 PM
• Bong Appetit, Viceland, 10:30 PM
• The Rundown with Robin Thede, BET, 11 PM
• The Timeline, NFL Network, 11 PM
• Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11 PM

Friday

• Mindhunter (S1), Netflix, 3 AM
• Lore (S1), Amazon Prime, 3 AM
• Super Monsters (S1), Netflix, 3 AM
• The Babysitter, Netflix, 3 AM
• El Especial de Alex Fernandez, Netflix, 3 AM
• Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, Amazon Prime, 3 AM
• Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (season premiere), CW, 8 PM
• Macgyver, CBS, 8 PM
• Once Upon a Time, ABC, 8 PM
• Tackle My Ride, NFL Network, 8 PM
• Jane the Virgin (season premiere), CW, 9 PM
• Marvel’s Inhumans, ABC, 9 PM
• Active Shooter, Showtime, 9 PM
• Z Nation, Syfy, 9 PM
• The Exorcist, Fox, 9 PM
• A Football Life: Sam Mills, NFL Network, 9 PM
• Tough Guys, Showtime, 9 PM
• Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus, Cinemax, 10 PM
• Superstition, Syfy, 10 PM
• Room 104 (season finale), HBO, 11:30 PM
• Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents, Comedy Central, 12 AM

Saturday

• Premier Boxing Champions, Fox, 8 PM
• Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, BBC America, 9 PM
• Halt and Catch Fire, AMC, 9 PM
• Tokyo Project, HBO, 10 PM
• Saturday Night Live: Kumail Nanjiani/P!nk, NBC, 11:30 PM

Sunday

• The Toy Box, ABC, 7 PM
• Outlander, Starz, 8 PM
• Shark Tank, ABC, 8 PM
• The Simpsons, Fox, 8 PM
• Giants/Broncos, NBC 8:20 PM
• Star Trek: Discovery, CBS All Access, 8:30 PM
• Ghosted, Fox, 8:30 PM
• Wisdom of the Crowd, CBS, 8 PM
• Family Guy, Fox, 9 PM
• Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, CNN, 9 PM
• Poldark, PBS, 9 PM
• Ray Donovan, Showtime, 9 PM
• The Deuce, HBO, 9 PM
• Fear the Walking Dead (season finale), AMC, 9 PM
• The Last Man on Earth, Fox, 9:30 PM
• NCIS: LA, CBS, 9 PM
• Good Behavior (season premiere), TNT, 10 PM
• Madam Secretary, CBS, 10 PM
• Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO, 10 PM
• Ten Days in the Valley, ABC, 10 PM
• This is Life with Lisa Ling, CNN, 10 PM
• Unsung Hollywood, TV One, 10 PM
• Survivor’s Remorse (season finale), Starz, 10 PM
• Vice Principals, HBO, 10:30 PM
• Talking Dead: Fear Edition (season finale), AMC, 11 PM
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, HBO, 11:05 PM

[All times listed are in ET]

Netflix’s ‘Wheelman’ film is a claustrophobic driving thriller

‘Man and his car’ films occasionally become genre classics, like Bullitt, Drive and Baby Driver, but even farther-ranging flicks like Death Proof and Speed use vehicles as brilliant settings for novel drama. Judging by the trailer that just dropped, Netflix’s original film Wheelman fits this niche like (excuse me) a glove: A driver’s next job sends him down a chaotic path that puts his loved ones in danger, threatened by a manipulative person on the other end of the phone.

The trailer shows the driver, played by Frank Grillo (The Grey, Purge: Anarchy & Election Year, Captain America: Winter Soldier), desperately trying to figure out who’s pulling the strings of the deadly game he’s stuck in. Most of the footage is from claustrophobic angles within the car, effectively framing the tension between the driver and the voice on the other end of the call. The film is a tight, breathless thriller that makes the most of its modest budget, according to Slashfilm’s Jacob Hall. It certainly looks filled with the grimy lethality that’s coming in Netflix’s eventual Punisher series, but you can watch Wheelman long before when it lands on October 20th.

Via: SlashFilm

Source: ‘Wheelman’ trailer (YouTube)

Twitter Working on ‘Save for Later’ Feature for Bookmarking Tweets

Twitter is developing a new Save for Later feature that will allow users to bookmark tweets for later reference, a Twitter product manager announced today.

On Twitter, product manager Jesar Shah said Twitter began working on a Save for Later feature during a recent Hack Week. An accompanying video demoed the new bookmarking option, which offers an “Add to Bookmarks” tool for preserving tweets.

For Hack Week @Twitter we started developing #SaveForLater. Here’s the early prototype that we put together in a week, which is likely to change. pic.twitter.com/c5LekvVF3l

— jesar 💭 (@jesarshah) October 9, 2017

Shah says Twitter is aiming to build the bookmarking option with input from Twitter users, with Twitter planning to ask users for feedback as the company designs and experiments with the feature. Twitter users can offer feedback and comments using the hashtag #SaveForLater.

We want to build this WITH you all! So we need your help. We’ll be Tweeting to ask for feedback, and share our thinking as we compare designs, experiment, do research, and more.

— jesar 💭 (@jesarshah) October 9, 2017

At the current time, Twitter has no official feature for keeping tweets to revisit. Twitter users use liking, retweeting, and self DMing as tweet saving methods right now, but a bookmarking option will make saving tweets for later reference much easier.

More information on the feature will be coming soon.
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple Pay in New Zealand to Expand to BNZ Soon

BNZ, aka Bank of New Zealand, plans to begin offering Apple Pay in the near future, reports New Zealand site Stuff. When Apple Pay support is implemented, BNZ customers will be able to use the Apple Pay service with their BNZ Advantage Visa credit cards and BNZ Flexi Debit Visa cards.

BNZ director of products and technology David Bullock said BNZ is planning to offer support for Apple Pay following feedback from customers. “More and more retailers are accepting it,” he told Stuff. “There’s a fairly high acceptance rate in New Zealand.

Apple Pay launched in New Zealand in October of 2016 in partnership with ANZ, and at the current time, Apple Pay is only available to ANZ customers.

Apple Pay has been slow to roll out in New Zealand because of the wide adoption of eftpos, which already offers New Zealanders a contactless payment solution that carries no fees for retailers.

BNZ does not have a set date for the release of Apple Pay, but expects the feature to become available later in the month of October.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay
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Apple Nixes Elvis Presley Biopic Series From The Weinstein Company Amid Scandal

Apple has opted not to move forward with an Elvis Presley biopic series produced by The Weinstein Company following a sexual harassment scandal involving founder Harvey Weinstein, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

The Apple Music project with The Weinstein Company was in the early stages of production, and would have seen Apple airing a 10-part Elvis biopic. It was reportedly one of four music-related projects that Apple had in the works with The Weinstein Company, with the others set to feature Michael Jackson, Primce, and Frank Sinatra.

Apple first established the deal with The Weinstein Company ahead of the June hiring of Sony executives Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, and the Elvis biopic was the only one of the four projects that was nearing development.

The Elvis series was first announced in September of 2016, but at that time, Apple’s involvement was not known. It was developed alongside the Presley estate, with the estate offering access to the entire Elvis Presley music catalog, cars, clothing, and Elvis’ Graceland home.

Apple’s decision to end the project comes following a Thursday report from The New York Times that detailed the decades-long sexual harassment history of founder Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein was fired from The Weinstein Company over the weekend, and sources have told The Hollywood Reporter that the company will change its name shortly.

(Image via Elvis.com)

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: Apple Music
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple Working on Fix for Reachability Bug in iOS 11

Apple is working on a fix for a Reachability bug that prevents the new iOS 11 Cover Screen with Notifications from being accessible from the middle of the iPhone’s display, Apple engineering chief Craig Federighi told a MacRumors reader this afternoon.

In an email to Federighi, MacRumors reader Michael asked the following question:

Ever since iOS 11 was released as a beta, the ability to invoke the Notification Center from the middle of the screen during reachability was removed. This was an incredibly useful feature as one didn’t have to awkwardly try to take ones’ thumb all the way back to the top even though reachability was invoked—defeating the whole purpose of it for one crucial task.

If this was done by design I fail to see the purpose or any benefit whatsoever to its removal. If it’s a bug, I hope Apple can get around to finally fixing this mistake/oversight.

Federighi replied to Michael’s email with a short “We are fixing it” note, confirming that the issue will be addressed in a future version of iOS 11.

Reachability, accessible by tapping (not pressing) twice on the Home button, is designed to bring down the entire top portion of the iPhone’s display so it is within thumb’s reach for one-handed access to all of an iPhone’s apps.

The iOS 11 Reachability bug has not been well publicized, but a few readers on the MacRumors forum have previously complained about it.

In iOS 10, when the Reachability gesture was used, a swipe down at the middle of the screen just above the app line brought down the Notification Center. In iOS 11, the Notification Center and the Lock Screen have been merged into one, so a swipe down in the middle of the iPhone’s display should bring down the Lock Screen Cover Sheet to display a user’s Notifications, but it doesn’t work.

To access Cover Sheet Notifications in iOS 11, users need to swipe down from the very top of the iPhone’s screen, meaning there’s no way to access Notifications one-handed through Reachability at the current time.

It’s not clear when the Reachability fix will be implemented, but it is not available in iOS 11.1 beta 2, which was released this morning. Today’s update did, however, bring back the 3D Touch App Switcher, another feature that iOS users have been missing.

Related Roundup: iOS 11
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Mophie Powerstation USB-C XXL review: 19,500mAh of battery for phones and laptops

We’re celebrating ten years of AndroidGuys with a ton of giveaways!

With more and more devices coming with USB Type-C ports, it becomes increasingly valuable to have a charger or power bank with support. Not only are most new Android phones standardized with USB-C, so are a lot of laptops, tablets, and other gadgets.

One of the newest portable batteries on the market, the Mophie Powerstation USB-C XXL, is designed to power not only phones and other mobile devices, but even a MacBook. That fact is front and center in its marketing; it’s only found in Apple stores, Apple.com, and on Mophie’s website.

Priced $150, it’s a high-capacity battery that can fill an average phone six or more times over. The 19,500mAh unit is strong enough to fully charge a 12-inch MacBook and most of the way for a MacBook Pro.

We’ve played with one of these chargers over the last few weeks and have come to appreciate not only its juice, but the aesthetics, too. See, Mophie has wrapped this one in a soft fabric that feels great in hand, Moreover, it looks great, and has a blackish-grey that classes up anything in comes in contact with.

In addition to the USB-C port, the Mophie unit also houses a standard USB-A port and supports simultaneous dual charging. Also, it allows for fast charging of laptop batteries at up to 30 Watts, with the USB-A port handling 5-Watt charging.

Stand the charger up on its side and you’ll find it has four small indicator lights. These allow an at-a-glance view at how much battery is left inside. Our experience with typical phones puts about two full phone charges in for every 25% light. If you’ve got a flagship model with a 3,000mAh battery or higher, you’ll get about three charges for every two lights.

According to Mophie, the Powerstation can be recharged in as few as three hours when used with 29W USB-C power adapters. Included in the box are two cables: USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A.

We liked were the ability to press and hold the button to switch the USB port to power input when charging from a computer. More importantly, though, we were fans of the
Priority+ Charging which is essentially pass-through charging that sends juice to your device first, recharging the Powerstation (USB-A port only) secondarily.

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At $150 the Mophie Powerstation USB-C XXL doesn’t come cheap. But, when you think beyond having this as a backup for your phone, it becomes more valuable. It’s not all that heavy and fits nicely in a bag. There’s no reason not to buy one of these if you live in a house with a growing number of Type-C products. The fabric is a nice touch, too, and dresses things up.