Smartphone-Compatible Digital Driver's Licenses Launching in Iowa in 2015 [iOS Blog]

The Iowa Department of Transportation will begin allowing customers the option of receiving their newly issued driver's licenses via a mobile app on their smartphones, reports The Des Moines Register .



The app, set to launch next year, will be available to customers at no additional cost and will include all of the necessary information a traditional plastic license includes.





During a state agency budget hearing this past Monday, DOT Director Paul Trombino reassured Iowa Governor Terry Branstad about the upcoming launch of the pioneering digital ID system.

"We are really moving forward on this," Trombino said. "The way things are going, we may be the first in the nation."

Trombino assured that those wanting to stick with a traditional plastic ID will have the option to do so, but that the new digital license will be widely supported throughout the state, including "Iowa law enforcement officers during traffic stops and by security officers screening travelers at Iowa's airports." The new smartphone app was called "an Identity Vault app" and is promised to be highly secure, with customers using a PIN number for verification.



More than thirty states, including Iowa, already accept digital copies of proof of insurance during traffic stops, so a driver's license as a smartphone app is the next logical step.

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Posted in 2014 at 04:39PM, December 11

Best Buy Discounting iPads, iPhones, Macs, and More for Black Friday

Major retailers are gearing up for the upcoming holiday shopping season, which officially kicks off on the post-Thanksgiving shopping day of Black Friday. Following leaked Black Friday sales flyers from both Sam's Club and Target, Best Buy today published its door buster deals ahead of the November 28 shopping holiday.





Similar to Target, Best Buy is discounting all iPad Air 2 models, with prices starting at $399 for the 16GB WiFi-only version. While Target is offering a $140 gift card, Best Buy is offering a more straightforward but smaller $100 discount off the purchase price of the device. Best Buy also is slashing the price of the iPad mini 3 by $75, lowering the cost of Apple's latest tablet to $324.99 for the base 16GB WiFi model.



Customers looking for Mac hardware can save up to $200 on select MacBook Pro, Retina MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and non-retina iMac models. Other sale items include the 16GB iPhone 6, which is being sold for $100 with a new two-year customer agreement, the 5th generation iPod touch 16GB ($149), the Apple TV ($89), a $100 iTunes gift card ($85) and select third-party accessories.



Best Buy is opening its retail stores in the early morning hours on Black Friday, with times varying by region. Shoppers can visit Best Buy's Black Friday website to find the specific retail hours for their local stores. For additional Black Friday discounts, check out our Black Friday roundup, where we are aggregating published Black Friday deals on Apple products and related Apple accessories.

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Posted in 2014 at 04:39PM, November 11

Construction Continues at Apple Campus 2, Foundation Nears Completion

The City of Cupertino, where Apple is building its spaceship-shaped second campus, has today shared an update on the progress of the campus along with a new aerial photo.



Construction continues at a rapid pace, with workers on site throughout the weekday and weekend. Apple appears to have completed much of the foundation of the main circular building and concrete mixers have been on site for the last several weeks. Much of the construction continues to be hidden from view at street level, but heavy construction equipment is visible.





Traffic around the area of the campus remains congested, as several roads continue to be shut down. Pruneridge Avenue is permanently closed, and there have been several lane reductions on Wolfe Road and Homestead Road, which surround the campus.



Along with a new aerial photo shared by the city, a drone captured new footage of the building site over the weekend, giving a clearer picture of the ongoing construction. As seen in the video, several sections of the circular foundation are covered with concrete.






According to a general project schedule, Apple plans to have street utilities and demolition complete by the end of the year, with earthwork continuing on until Q2 2015 and construction on the building itself lasting until the end of 2016.



Apple's completed campus, located in close proximity to the company's existing Infinite Loop campus, will feature the iconic 2.8 million square foot ring-shaped main building, an underground parking facility capable of accommodating 2,400 cars, a 100,000 square foot fitness center, and a 120,000 square foot auditorium.

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Posted in 2014 at 04:39PM, October 06

The most comprehensive collection you’ll find of iOS 8 tips and tricks

Apple finally released its hotly anticipated iOS 8 update to the public earlier this week, and early opinions have been... mixed. The upgrade process was a bit dicey for some users but the dust seems to finally be settling now, and people are starting to explore all of iOS 8's awesome new features.

We've shared tons of great iOS 8 tips and tricks that will help you get the most out of the fresh new software on your iPhone or iPad, and you can find them all in our iOS 8 hub. But if you're looking for one post with the widest possible range of tips, hints, tricks and walkthroughs, we have just the thing for you.

Continue reading...

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Posted in 2014 at 04:39PM, September 19

Apple ID Two-Step Verification Now Available in 59 Countries [iOS Blog]

Apple today expanded its two-step verification feature for Apple IDs to 48 additional countries, bringing the total number of countries able to access two-step authentication to 59.



Initially noticed by 9to5Mac new countries receiving the feature include China, France, India, Japan, Korea, South Africa, Thailand, Switzerland, and many more across Asia, South America, and Europe.





First launched in March of 2013, two-step verification is designed to provide Apple users with an extra layer of protection through the use of a trusted device and a security code for their Apple IDs. Two-step verification was initially limited to users in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand, and expanded to several additional countries later in 2013.



Two-step verification may also be applied to iCloud.com in the future, in addition to Apple IDs. Apple's two-step verification support page has a full list of countries that are able to access the feature.

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Posted in 2014 at 04:39PM, July 17

Microsoft Considering Expanding Cortana Virtual Assistant to iOS and Android [iOS Blog]

Microsoft earlier this year introduced Cortana, an intelligent virtual assistant to compete with iOS' Siri and Android's Google Now. Cortana was launched as a Windows Phone 8.1 feature, but a new report from Search Engine Land suggests Microsoft may expand the service to iOS and Android.





Speaking at the SMX Advanced conference in Seattle yesterday, Windows Phone Group Program Manager Marcus Ash said the company wants Cortana to be "pervasive" both geographically and among mobile platforms.

We want to scale Cortana internationally and across devices. The Android/iOS question is interesting. We’re asking, would Cortana be as effective if she didn’t have access to the details on your phone? We’re still trying to get Cortana adopted on Windows Phone and figure out what it wants to become there. But we’re actively talking about this.



I think it’s natural to think that an assistant that only runs on one device … the idea that she will be very pervasive is important to us.

Cortana is powered by Microsoft's Bing search engine and Tellme's natural language processing and speech-recognition technology Microsoft acquired in 2009. The assistant is launching first on Windows Phone 8.1 and the Xbox One game console. It is named after the artificial intelligence in Microsoft's popular Halo game series and has a female voice powered by actress Jen Taylor, who also provides the voiceovers for the video game.

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Posted in 2014 at 04:39PM, June 13