Beats by Dre. Debuts Special Edition Hello Kitty Headphones for 40th Anniversary [iOS Blog]

Apple's Beats by Dre. headphones brand is teaming up with Sanrio to offer two special edition Hello Kitty-themed products to commemorate Hello Kitty's 40th anniversary (via CNET ).



Beats has designed new Solo2 over-the-ear headphones that feature an all-over Hello Kitty print in a signature red, white, and blue color scheme, plus new urBeats in-ear earphones that feature the same colors along with a bow decoration and a matching bow-shaped collector's pouch.





The new Hello Kitty x Beats Solo2 headphones will retail for $249.95, while the urBeats will sell for $149.95, a $50 premium over standard Solo2 and urBeat pricing. While both products are listed on the Beats website, they won't be available to purchase until after they debut at the upcoming Hello Kitty Con 2014 on October 30 in Los Angeles.

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Posted in 2014 at 11:23PM, October 29

Buyer's Guide: 20% Off iTunes Gift Cards, Halloween Discounts on Most Mophie, Speck, and Griffin Products [iOS Blog]

In celebration of Halloween, which takes place on Friday, retailers are offering some significant discounts on their products. Mophie, for example, is offering 20 percent off all of its products with the promo code LIVINGDEAD, with the discount valid until 11/2.





Speck is offering a similar deal, providing customers with 20 percent off all products aside from iPhone 6 and 6 Plus cases with the promo code TRICKORTREAT. Speck's deal will last until 10/31.



Griffin is offering 20 percent off all products sidewide using the promo code SPOOKY20. The sale will last through the end of the week.



Along with those three deals, PayPal Digital Gifts is offering 20% off iTunes cards from eBay (via DealMac), dropping the price of a $25 card to $20, a $50 code to $40, and a $100 code to $80. The codes are delivered digitally and customers looking to get a discount on an iTunes card should act fast as PayPal-discounted iTunes cards rarely last long.



MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.

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Posted in 2014 at 10:57PM, October 29

Check out this trailer for Netflix’s most expensive and ambitious show yet

On Tuesday, Netflix released the trailer for its ambitious and very expensive new original series Marco Polo. With a massive budget, Netflix is hoping this series — based on the famous 13th century explorer — will have subscribers follow along on his journey.

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Posted in 2014 at 09:30PM, October 29

These 10 inventions from the last 50 years wouldn’t impress anyone in the 1700s

Sometimes we have random thoughts throughout the day that are pointless: What would it be like if a modern-day army went up against Alexander The Great in a ground war? What if I brought my laptop back to the 50's and randomly opened it up in a pub?

A question was posed to the people of Reddit that asked, "What invention of the last 50 years would least impress the people of the 1700s?" The response was overwhelming. Let's take a look at some of the best responses.

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Posted in 2014 at 08:48PM, October 29

MCX Says Merchants Doing What's Best for Customers, Being Attacked for 'Challenging the Status Quo'

Following the publication of a blog post earlier today outlining some details of its upcoming CurrentC mobile payments solution and disclosure of a hack resulting in unauthorized access to users' email addresses, Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX) held a conference call with members of the press to further address questions and concerns.



During the call, MCX CEO Dekkers Davidson and COO Scott Rankin clarified that MCX merchants who choose to accept Apple Pay are not subject to fines. As stated in the blog post earlier today, merchants are also free to leave the consortium entirely at any time without penalty beyond forfeiting the time and money already invested in the effort.



As a result, MCX certainly appears to be placing the blame for its member retailers' refusal to accept Apple Pay on the merchants themselves. Asked whether Apple Pay and MCX's CurrentC solution should be able to exist side-by-side, the executives noted that believe they will in the future and that it will take two or three major players in mobile payments to allow the entire market to thrive.



But pressed as to why some retailers such as CVS and Rite Aid have shut down NFC entirely rather than allow unofficial Apple Pay payments in their stores, Davidson argued that merchants know their customers best and are making the choices they believe are right for their customers. He said the merchants believe customers want more than just mobile payments, and CurrentC's integration of payments with loyalty cards and coupons will in his opinion prove to be the best solution.



On the topic of the hack that has resulted in compromised email addresses, Davidson noted that attacks on their systems were expected and have been heavy over the past week but that the email breach did not affect the app or the actual CurrentC systems. As a result, the issue has not shaken MCX's confidence that the cloud is the best place to store personal information for CurrentC users. Asked why MCX has been the target of such attacks over the past week, Davidson speculated that with MCX "challenging the status quo" of large, entrenched payment systems, there are bound to be attacks.



Addressing privacy issues, Davidson and Rankin also highlighted the privacy dashboard that will be available to all CurrentC users. The dashboard will allow users to tailor their level of engagement with retailers, ranging from complete anonymity to identifiable relationships that will allow for customized offers, coupons, and other benefits.



The executives also touted CurrentC's technology and payment platform agnosticism, noting that while the system has been initially built out using QR codes for maximum compatibility, the system can easily pivot to NFC or other technologies as appropriate. Responding to questions of security with QR codes, the executives pointed to Starbucks, which processes 5-6 million transactions per week using the technology.



On the payment front, CurrentC will support a variety of methods including store cards, gift cards, debit cards, and checking account withdrawals, with two credit card companies even on board at this stage. Over time, MCX expects all cards to be welcomed, even with the interchange fees charged for credit card usage.



CurrentC is currently in limited testing with an undisclosed number of partners in undisclosed locations around the country, and a full nationwide launch is planned for early next year.

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Posted in 2014 at 08:39PM, October 29

How to Use AirDrop to Share Files Between Macs and iOS Devices [iOS Blog]

Apple's AirDrop file-sharing feature debuted with the release of OS X Lion and allowed users to transfer files from one Mac to another without using email or an external storage device. The feature made its way to iOS devices with the release of iOS 7, and offered a simple way for users to share files like photos between iOS devices. Now, with the release OS X Yosemite, users can use AirDrop to transfer files between the Mac and an iOS device for the first time.



This video shows you how it works:






Prior to the release of OS X Yosemite, users looking to transfer files between a Mac and iOS device usually had to resort to a third-party service like Dropbox or use an iCloud-connected app like Messages. AirDrop on OS X Yosemite and iOS 8 provides an easy-to-use solution for transferring files, as users can either drag and drop files from the Mac to iOS or move files from iOS to the Mac using the Share feature.



On the Mac, a number of apps like Safari, Preview, Pages, and Contacts support the Share feature. Third-party Mac apps like Deliveries, Ember, and Notability also feature Share support, allowing content to be transferred via AirDrop. On iOS, most of Apple's stock apps including Photos, Safari, Notes, and Maps feature Share support. Third-party apps including Camera+, Evernote, and eBay also support the feature.

Before you Start

You will need iOS 7 or later and OS X Yosemite in order to use AirDrop to transfer files between a Mac and an iOS device. Using AirDrop to move files between iOS and Mac is supported by all Mac models released in 2012 and later running OS X Yosemite. You can confirm that your Mac is compatible with AirDrop by clicking the Finder icon in the Dock and clicking the "Go" icon in the Menu Bar. If AirDrop is not listed as an option, then your Mac is not compatible with the feature.





Apple notes that AirDrop users should ensure that devices being used are within 30 feet of each other. If you have a firewall enabled on your Mac, navigate to Menu Bar -> Apple -> System Preferences -> General -> Security & Privacy -> Firewall -> Firewall Options and ensure that "Block all incoming connections" is not checked.



Keep in mind that it is not required for both devices to log into the same iCloud account to use AirDrop, but doing so offers the benefit of transferring files through AirDrop automatically without the need to approve each transfer. Files transferred between devices logged into different iCloud accounts will need permission to accept file transfers. Both iOS devices and Macs must be powered on and not locked in order to make AirDrop file transfers.

Steps

1. Turn on Wi-Fi on your iPhone (Settings -> Wi-Fi) and Mac (Menu Bar -> Wi-Fi -> Turn Wi-Fi On. AirDrop will still work between the Mac and an iOS device even if both are using different Wi-Fi networks.



2. Turn on Bluetooth on your iPhone (Settings -> Bluetooth) and Mac (Menu Bar -> Apple -> System Preferences -> Bluetooth -> Turn Bluetooth On).



3. Turn on AirDrop on your iPhone (Slide up to access Control Center -> AirDrop -> Choose "Contacts Only" or "Everyone") and Mac (Finder -> Menu Bar -> Go -> AirDrop -> Click "Allow me to be discovered by:" -> Choose "Contacts Only" or "Everyone").





4. You may now begin using AirDrop to transfer files between a Mac and an iOS device. To test it out, go to the AirDrop menu in Finder and notice that your iOS device is represented by circle. Drag and drop a file onto the circle, and your iOS device will prompt you to accept the file.





You can also transfer files from the Mac to an iOS device using apps that have Share feature built-in. The Share menu can be accessed in the upper right corner of an app and is represented by a square with an upward facing arrow.




The iOS share icon (middle) as seen in Safari


Selecting the AirDrop option from the Share menu brings up a list of devices that can receive files.





5. Transferring a file from an iOS device to the Mac can be done in any app that supports the Share functionality. Like on the Mac, the Share button brings up a list of options for transfers including AirDrop. For example, sending an image to the Mac from the Photos app can be done by tapping the Share button, tapping AirDrop, and selecting the desired Mac. A prompt to accept the file should then appear on the Mac.

Troubleshooting

Some users have had trouble with AirDrop functionality between the Mac and iOS devices since it launched with OS X Yosemite. Members on our forums and on Apple's support forums have reported that restarting both devices fixed their problems. If the devices aren't recognizing each other, make sure AirDrop is set to "Everyone" instead of "Contacts Only," as the latter setting has caused some problems for users. A number of users have also realized their Macs are too old to support AirDrop functionality between OS X and iOS after attempting to try out the feature, so ensure that your Mac is a 2012 model or newer by going to Menu Bar -> Apple -> About This Mac.

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Posted in 2014 at 08:30PM, October 29

MCX says its Apple Pay rival is being bashed because it’s ‘challenging the status quo’

You may think that Merchant Customer Exchange members are being heavy handed in blocking Apple Pay and Google Wallet from their stores because they want to promote MCX's own CurrentC mobile payment platform. But according to MCX, that's not the case — instead, these merchants are rebelliously trying to shake up the mobile payments industry.

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Posted in 2014 at 08:26PM, October 29