Hurry: You have just over an hour to get an invitation for Google’s awesome Inbox app

Disappointed that no one has yet invited you to try out Google's awesome new Inbox by Gmail app? Well you can get one right now if you act fast. 9to5Google points out that Google on Wednesday said that it would guarantee Inbox invitations to anyone who emails inbox@google.com from a Gmail address between the hours of 10 a.m. and noon PST (1 p.m.-3 p.m. EST). This means that as of this writing you have just over an hour to email Google and get your guaranteed Inbox invite.

Continue reading...

Read More [...]

Posted in 2014 at 06:46PM, December 03

iCloud.com Photos App Gains New Uploading Capabilities

Following two weeks of testing on the iCloud beta site for developers, the consumer-facing iCloud.com site has gained support for uploading images to iCloud Photo Library (via iFun.de [Google Translate]).



Before the addition of the new uploading tool, the standard iCloud.com site allowed users to view all of their iCloud Photo Library images, as well as download and delete them, but it did not have a tool to allow users to upload photos captured with non-Apple devices.




New toolbar with upload support on iCloud.com site at top, previous iCloud.com toolbar on bottom


The new uploading feature on the iCloud.com site makes it possible to upload JPGs, but as with the beta feature, other image and video formats like .PNG, .MOV, .AVI, .MP4, and more are not supported. When a file is uploaded to the site, it syncs instantly to all of a user's iOS devices, much like a photo taken on an iPhone or iPad or added to iCloud Photo Library via the iOS Photos app.



Currently in beta and introduced alongside iOS 8.1, iCloud Photo Library stores all of the photos and videos that a user takes in iCloud, making them available on all iOS devices and Macs. iCloud Photo Library images can be viewed in the Photos app on iOS or through iCloud.com on the Mac, and the upcoming Photos app that Apple is creating for Macs will also work with iCloud Photo Library.



Users should be aware that photos uploaded to iCloud Photo Library use iCloud storage space. Apple offers 5GB of storage space for free, with additional plans ranging from $0.99 for 20GB of storage space to $19.99 for 1TB of storage space.

Read More [...]

Posted in 2014 at 06:46PM, November 21

Regions Bank Adds Support for Apple Pay [iOS Blog]

Following a second round of banks adding support for the Apple Pay mobile payments service last week, Regions Bank today rolled began allowing its cards to be added to the service. The bank has reportedly emailed customers about the new support and MacRumors readers have been successfully adding their cards to Apple Pay.



Apple has also updated its list of participating issuers to include Regions, noting that personal credit and debit cards as well as small business credit cards and prepaid cards from the bank are supported at this time.



Regions Banks is based in Birmingham, Alabama and primarily serves the Southeast, Midwest, and Texas with over 1700 branches and 2400 ATMs.



While the number of supporting banks currently numbers a little over a dozen, Apple announced at its media event last month that it has over 500 banks signed on for Apple Pay. Many of the largest banks in the United States are already supporting the service, and the remainder of those signed on will continue rolling out support over time.

Read More [...]

Posted in 2014 at 06:46PM, November 12

You’ve already missed your chance to get the Nexus 6 this week

When Google updated the Nexus 6 listing on the Play store this week to assure consumers that more inventory was on its way, we assumed that many of the slighted early adopters who missed out on the initial batch would have their chance to pick one up on Wednesday. Unfortunately, unless you just happened to refresh the page at the perfect moment, you probably missed this week's inventory.

Continue reading...

Read More [...]

Posted in 2014 at 06:46PM, November 05

Buyer's Guide Deals: Discounts on the Original iPad Air and iPad Mini 2 [iOS Blog]

With the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3 set to hit stores any day now, retailers have begun offering some discounts on the previous-generation iPad Air and Retina iPad mini 2, especially on higher-capacity models that have been discontinued.



On its own website, Apple offers the original iPad Air in 16 and 32GB capacities only, with prices at $399 and $449, respectively, for Wi-Fi models, and $529/$579 for Wi-Fi+ Cellular models. The same is true for the iPad mini 2, which is available in 16 and 32GB capacities at $299/$349 for Wi-Fi and $429/$479 for Wi-Fi + Cellular.





Retailers are not offering discounts on the iPad Air and iPad mini 2 models that Apple continues to sell, but the discontinued higher capacity 64 and 128GB models are available at lower prices. Customers who don't care about Touch ID or the new features in the iPad Air 2 but want more storage capacity will be able to get a solid deal on an older-generation model.



iPad Air



The Wi-Fi only 64GB iPad Air in Space Gray can be purchased for $499 from Best Buy, as can the 64GB Silver Wi-Fi model. The Wi-Fi only 128GB iPad Air in Silver can be purchased from B&H Photo for $599.



Several sites are also offering deals on the higher-capacity Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad Air models. The 64GB Cellular iPad Air in Silver from AT&T is available for $599 from Adorama. The 64GB Cellular iPad Air in Space Gray from AT&T is also available for $599, from Amazon, Adorama, and B&H Photo.



Verizon models are slightly more expensive, with both the 64GB Silver Cellular iPad and 64GB Space Gray iPad available for $629 from Best Buy.



The 128GB Cellular iPad Air in Silver from AT&T is available for $829.99 from Best Buy and the 128GB Space Gray AT&T Cellular iPad is available for $699 from Adorama, a hefty discount of $230 off the original price.



128GB models from Verizon are priced similarly, with the 128GB Silver version available from Adorama for $699 and the Space Gray version available for $729 from B&H Photo.



iPad mini 2



Higher-capacity iPad mini 2 models are also available at steep discounts, and these iPads are a particularly good deal as the only difference between the mini 2 and the mini 3 is Touch ID and a gold color option.



The 64GB Wi-Fi only iPad mini 2 in Silver is available for $399 from Best Buy and Adorama. The Space Gray Wi-Fi only iPad mini 2 is also available for $399 from Best Buy and Adorama.



The 128GB Wi-Fi only iPad mini 2 in Silver is available for $499 from Best Buy, while the Space Gray version is available for $499 from Best Buy and Adorama.



The 64GB AT&T Cellular iPad mini 2 in Silver is available for $529.99 from Best Buy, while the Space Gray model is available for $529.99 from Best Buy, Amazon, and Adorama.



64GB Verizon Cellular iPad mini 2 models in Silver are available for $529.99 from Best Buy and the Space Gray model is available from Best Buy for the same price.



The 128GB Cellular AT&T iPad mini 2 in Silver is available for $629 from Amazon and Adorama. The AT&T Space Gray model in 128GB is also available for $629 from Amazon and Adorama.



The 128GB Cellular Verizon iPad mini 2 in silver is available for $629 from Adorama. The Space Gray version is also available for $629 from Best Buy and Adorama.



Trade-ins



Though sites have not yet begun offering discounts on the current-generation iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3, Best Buy is accepting older iPads as trade-ins towards the cost of a new iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 3. The company is guaranteeing a minimum of $175 towards the iPad mini 3 with the trade in of an iPad 2 or newer, and a minimum of $200 towards the iPad Air 2 with the trade in of an iPad 2 or newer.



There are several other sites that allow users to send in their older iPads for cash that can be used towards the purchase of a new iPad, including Gazelle, Amazon, Target, Glyde, and more.



It remains unclear when the new iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 will be available in stores, but Apple continues to offer pre-orders for the devices on its website, with prices beginning at $499 and $399, respectively.



MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.

Read More [...]

Posted in 2014 at 06:46PM, October 21

Apple to Continue Offering Public Beta Versions of OS X Software

With the release of Yosemite, Apple introduced a public beta test for the first time, allowing more than a million consumers to sign up for and participate in the Yosemite beta. In past years, beta testing new Mac software has been left up to developers and a select number of Apple Seed members.



It appears that Apple found Yosemite's public beta testing to be successful, as the company today sent out an email that suggests it will continue to offer public beta tests for OS X software in the future. In an email that thanks Yosemite testers, Apple says that members of the OS X Beta Program will continue to be offered beta versions of OS X software updates.

Thanks for participating in the OS X Yosemite Beta Program. As you know, OS X Yosemite brings an elegant redesign, continuity features for using your Mac, iPhone, and iPad together, and major enhancements to the apps you use every day. And it's now available for free from the Mac App Store.



Please install the release version of OS X Yosemite. As a member of the OS X Beta Program, you will continue to be offered beta versions of OS X software updates on any Mac that you installed the beta on. However, if you prefer to stop receiving beta updates, please click here.

Over the course of the beta testing period, Apple seeded six separate public betas to beta testers. While public beta testers received fewer updates than developers early on, towards the end of the beta testing period, updates became more frequent and the final beta that was sent out mirrored the third golden master sent to developers.



It is unclear if Apple will seed minor OS X updates to the beta testing public, or if the next major public beta test will come in 2015 with the release of the next-generation OS X 10.11 Mac operating system.

Read More [...]

Posted in 2014 at 06:46PM, October 20

Do people really want smartwatches? Google Search autocomplete results offer hilarious answers

It's up in the air as to whether smartwatches will be a success or not. Companies are dumping millions of dollars into the development and release of them, and no one is quite sure whether they will catch on. However, if you ask Google, it will autocomplete the answer for you... and it's not good news for smartwatch vendors.

Continue reading...

Read More [...]

Posted in 2014 at 06:46PM, October 13

Apple provides key new details on the massive iCloud hack of nude celebrity pics

Apple is needless to say not very happy that some hackers figured out how to swipe a trove of nude celebrity pictures that were uploaded onto iCloud but the company is insisting that the problem has nothing to do with iCloud's overall security.

Continue reading...

Read More [...]

Posted in 2014 at 06:46PM, September 02

Apple TV Beta Includes Redesigned Interface With iOS 7-Style Icons, Fonts [Mac Blog]

Alongside iOS 8 beta 5 and the fifth Yosemite beta, Apple today launched a new Apple TV software beta, which includes a long-awaited interface update.



The new interface includes new icons, which are designed to resemble the icons in iOS 7, with a flatter, less glossy look. Several icons, like Music, Computers, and TV Shows have new colors, and the on-screen fonts have been updated as well.




Image courtesy of iLounge


Previous Apple TV betas have also added new Family Sharing options and support for iCloud Photos, both of which are features introduced in iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite.



Currently, the Apple TV beta is available only to registered developers, but the updated software is expected to be released to the public in the fall, likely alongside the launch of iOS 8.

Read More [...]

Posted in 2014 at 06:46PM, August 04