BearExtender Turbo starts shipping today for $80, brings 802.11ac WiFi to older Macs

Yes, it took a little longer than we originally expected. But, starting today, BearExtender is finally making its 802.11ac WiFi adapter available to Apple laptop and desktop owners who are missing out on the novel wireless standard. Much like the company’s BearExtender 1200, the Turbo is also designed to add 802.11ac functionality to older Mac computers. However, the BearExtender Turbo differentiates itself by supporting USB 3.0 and dual-band connectivity (2.4 and 5GHz), which is said to allow it to handle up to 867Mbps throughput speeds on the 5Ghz band. Naturally, BearExtender notes that this will depend on your internet service provider and the router being used — for example, it recommends this year’s AirPort Extreme or Time Capsule to achieve maximum performance. At $80, BearExtender’s Turbo has potential to be a decent solution, one that could, perhaps, hold you over until you finally decide to upgrade to a new, 802.11ac-equipped machine.

Filed under: Desktops, Misc, Laptops, Wireless, Networking, Apple

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Source: BearExtender

Foxconn still not in compliance with all local labor laws, but it’s getting better

Remember when Apple and Foxconn pledged to improve working conditions, increase wages and limit work weeks to 60 hours? Turns out they’re still working on that. According to a recent investigation by China’s Fair Labor Association, Hon Hai Precision (Foxconn’s official name) is “not in compliance” with laws limiting overtime to 36 hours a month. Even so, the company has made significant progress: according to the FLA, Foxconn has completed 356 of the 360 items it agreed to when it promised to improve working conditions. In fact, the company seems to be taking the audit as a compliment.

“The results of the report demonstrate substantial overall progress by our company in carrying out the 15-month remedial program in many areas,” Foxconn officials said. “However, we recognize that there is more to be done and we must continue to sustain this progress and further enhance our operations.” Apple followed up the company’s optimistic response with its own statement, noting that the average work week at all of its suppliers was 53 hours, well under the 60 hour limit. The company also made progress by improving facilities, building more exits and adding more toilets. There’s still work to do, but both companies have promised to do everything they can to resolve the remaining issues.

Filed under: Misc, Apple

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Source: Financial Times, Wall Street Journal

Beyonce Releases Exclusive iTunes Album, Dominating Store Carousel [Mac Blog]

American singer Beyoncè released her self-titled fifth studio album today, which is exclusively available on iTunes and is notably dominating the digital music store’s rotating carousel.

The album, dubbed a “visual album” because each song comes with an accompanying music video, has seen an unprecedented marketing push from Apple within the iTunes Store, receiving all the attention of the promotion carousel at the top of the store and even spawning a “Beyoncè albums” section where users can see her four other albums and anthology album.

Apple has previously offered exclusive streaming for certain albums, like David Bowie’s The Next Day, leveraging iTunes dominant position in the digital music landscape.

Beyoncè is available now for $15.99, with individual song and video sales starting on December 20.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for iOS Remastered and Rereleased [iOS Blog]

Sega has released an updated and remastered version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for iOS, adding iPad and iPhone 5 support, in addition to a new Boss Attack Mode and a new online 2-player mode. The update is free for current owners of the game.

The game is a faithful recreation of the classic Sega Genesis title, but adds a secret zone called the Hidden Palace that was removed from the original game. The game was made by the same team that released the Sonic CD iOS-port previously. Our sister-site TouchArcade has more:

Just a quick heads-up to let you know that the Sonic The Hedgehog 2 [$2.99] remastered update, which we gave you some first impressions of yesterday, is now available as a free update to the original game in the App Store. In addition to improved visuals, widescreen and Universal iPad support, and a 60fps frame rate, this remastered Sonic 2 also includes brand new additions like a Boss Attack Mode, an online 2-player mode, Knuckles as a playable character right from the start, and the first ever official inclusion of the long-lost Hidden Palace Zone which was scrapped from the original Sega Genesis version of the game just days before release back in 1992.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is available for $2.99 from the App Store for iPhone and iPad. [Direct Link]

‘Instapaper’ Named App of the Week, Available for Free [iOS Blog]

Popular read-it-later app Instapaper has been named Apple’s App of the Week, and as a result, it is available for free for the first time since its initial 2010 release.

The app is designed to allow users to save and store articles for reading at a later time, stripping away unnecessary page clutter for an unhindered reading experience. Instapaper supports up to 500 articles on the iPad and the iPhone, and it includes an offline mode for reading in areas without cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity.

Instapaper is the simplest way to save and store articles for reading: offline, on-the-go, anytime, anywhere, perfectly formatted.

Instapaper for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch provides a mobile-optimized Text view that makes reading Internet content a clean and uncluttered experience.

Instapaper also integrates with more than 150 other apps, which support saving content within the Instapaper app, and it includes features like adjustable fonts and text sizes, dark modes, brightness control, filters, and dictionary and Wikipedia integration.

Earlier this year, Instapaper developer Marco Arment sold a majority stake of the app to Betaworks, the company that owns Bitly, Digg, and Socialflow.

Instapaper will be free for one week and can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]

FCC Takes Steps to Approve Cell Phones in Flight as Transportation Department Considers Banning Calls on Planes

The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) announced on Thursday that it will consider banning cellular phone calls on planes if the FCC gives airlines the go-ahead to install equipment to support cellular service on flights.

According to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, who spoke to Politico, the department will seek to determine whether in-flight calls are fair to consumers.

“We believe USDOT’s role, as part of our Aviation Consumer Protection Authority, is to determine if allowing these calls is fair to consumers. USDOT will now begin a process that will look at the possibility of banning these in-flight calls,” Foxx said in a statement emailed to POLITICO. “As part of that process, USDOT will give stakeholders and the public significant opportunity to comment.”

Foxx’s statement was made shortly before the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to approve a proposal to invite comment on the potential change to its rules. The FCC first announced that it was considering allowing airplane passengers to use mobile phones on flights to make voice calls and use cellular data back in November.

The FCC is currently investigating the safety of allowing cell phone service on planes, and with a potential in-flight call ban from the Department of Transportation, a situation could arise where customers are permitted to use cellular data in-flight for texting and web browsing but are banned from making voice calls.

“Over the past few weeks, we have heard of concerns raised by airlines, travelers, flight attendants, members of Congress and others who are all troubled over the idea of passengers talking on cellphones in flight — and I am concerned about this possibility, as well,” Foxx said in his statement. “As the FCC has said before: Their sole role on this issue is to examine the technical feasibility of the use of mobile devices in flight.”

Earlier this year, the Federal Communications Commission officially relaxed its restrictions on the use of portable electronic devices in-flight, allowing them to be used during landing and takeoff. The FCC still requires devices like the iPad and the iPhone to be placed in Airplane Mode, however, with cellular service disabled.

Remote iOS App Updated to Add iTunes Radio Control on Mac or PC [iOS Blog]

Apple has updated its Remote iOS app to add control of iTunes Radio on iTunes on the Mac or PC. Previously, Remote could not control iTunes Radio on computers.

The app was previously updated in early November with an iOS 7-inspired redesign.

Remote is designed to be in perfect sync with iTunes. With just a few taps on your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, you can play iTunes Radio from anywhere in your home. Choose playlists, songs, and albums as if you were in front of your computer or Apple TV. Or play them from iCloud with iTunes Match on Apple TV. Control your Apple TV with the flick of your finger or use the keyboard to quickly tap out a title instead of clicking letters on the Apple TV screen.

Remote is a free download for the iPad and iPhone from the App Store. [Direct Link]

IFTTT now lets iOS users automate their location

IFTTT (If This Then That) is a handy online service capable of connecting various apps and devices together and running automated tasks (or “recipes”) that you’d normally find mundane and time-wasting. It’s been around for a couple years and has built up a strong network of different services ranging from social networks like Instagram and Twitter to Cloud services like Dropbox and Box.net, and plenty of stuff in between. One thing that’s been missing, however, is the ability to automate your location; fortunately, IFTTT is introducing the iOS Location Channel to fill that void (well, for iOS devices anyway).

The new channel leverages location information from your GPS, cellular, WiFi or iBeacon data and uses it as a “trigger” — something that initiates an automated action. For example, you can instruct IFTTT to send a text message to your loved one as you’re arriving at your destination, or get an email when one of your Foursquare friends checks in somewhere near your apartment. If you use a Philips Hue, have it do a crazy light show to announce your upcoming arrival. There’s plenty more ideas where that came from, but you’ll have to go take a look at IFTTT’s full listing of services and come up with a few clever recipes of your own as well.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Apple

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Source: IFTTT

Twitter for Mac Gains Updated Design With Photo Previews and Revamped Profiles [Mac Blog]

Twitter for Mac was today updated to version 3.0, adding several new features plus a revamped look and feel to bring it more inline with the Twitter for iOS app.

The app has gained display previews for Twitter photos, along with a detailed view for Tweets that offers photos, other Tweets in the conversation, and favorite and retweet counts. Profiles have also gained a new look, with a profile banner header that includes more detailed information on each user.

This release comes with a number of enhancements and changes.

More visual and engaging timelines
– Previews of Twitter photos will be front and center in Tweets. To see more of the photo, just click. If you want to disable previews, just go to preferences and uncheck “image previews.”

Get more from Tweets
– Check out the tweet detail pane to see the conversation around a tweet as well as favorite and retweet counts.

Beautiful profiles
– Profiles now show header photos to display the unique personality of every user. Learn more about them by seeing who they follow and are followed by, their lists, and their custom timelines.

Updated design
– We’ve refreshed the overall look and feel of the app.

Prior to today’s update, Twitter for Mac’s last major update was in April of 2013 to add Retina support and improvements to photo sharing. Before that, the app went without an update for nearly two years.

Twitter for Mac can be downloaded from the Mac App Store. [Direct Link]