The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

Denon Envaya is a portable Bluetooth speaker with loads of oomph Posted: 10 Sep 2014 03:00 PM PDT Denon is an audio company renowned for producing high-quality, high-end hi-fi equipment. The Envaya (US$199) represents Denon's current offering into the portable speaker market. Having recently reviewed Ultimate Ear's Boom and the pricier (compared...

iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus? That is the question. Here's an answer. Posted: 10 Sep 2014 02:00 PM PDT Remember those days when we were all trying to get the smallest possible cell phone? If you don't, you're probably young. That all went out the window with the introduction of the iPhone and its competitors, since fairly quickly we started seeing a...

Star Walk Kids is a fun constellation browser for children Posted: 10 Sep 2014 01:30 PM PDT Star Walk Kids is a version of the astronomy apps Star Walk and Star Walk 2 - the latter of which TUAW's own Mel Martin called "impressively good looking" - designed specifically for educating kids about the wonders of the stars and the universe. It...

Today in the App Store -- the best free apps, new apps and app updates Posted: 10 Sep 2014 01:00 PM PDT Here are some of the best free apps, app updates and new apps that have landed in the App Store recently. All app prices are USD and subject to change. Some deals may expire quickly, so grab them while you can. Apps Now Free Amigo Pancho [iOS...

Lefties, the Apple Watch is going to work just fine for you Posted: 10 Sep 2014 12:30 PM PDT If there's one bit of false information that's been spread over the past 24 hours more than anything else, it's the claim that the Apple Watch is hostile to left-handed users. This has popped up on Facebook, Twitter, and even news organizations, and...

Hands-on first impressions of Apple Pay -- "remarkably smooth" Posted: 10 Sep 2014 12:00 PM PDT Though not as sexy as new iPhones or Apple's newfangled Watch, Apple's foray into the world of mobile payments with Apple Pay has the potential to be a real game changer. If Apple Pay catches on, Tim Cook's statement that the platform will "forever...

Daily Deals for September 10, 2014, featuring The Epic iPhone 6 Giveaway Posted: 10 Sep 2014 11:30 AM PDT It's time to save some of that hard-earned cash with our Daily Deals, featuring exclusive TUAW Deals, a handy list from Dealnews and our own handpicked iOS and OS X selections. All prices are USD and subject to change. Some deals may expire quickly....

How to tell if you're eligible for an iPhone 6 and how much you'll pay Posted: 10 Sep 2014 11:00 AM PDT For those of us in the tech blogging business, yesterday started up yet another round of the "should I or shouldn't I?" questions -- as in "Should I get a new iPhone 6 to replace my iPhone 5s that I bought last year, or wait?" The answer is that...

YouTube Find: Parody video details Apple's 'Pleasantly Plump Little Electronic Watch' Posted: 10 Sep 2014 10:30 AM PDT This Apple Watch (Parody) video from JacksFilms takes on the Watch hype not even a day after the smartwatch was announced. So what do you think of this "A Pleasantly Plump Little Electronic Watch Android's Terrible Come Here" device? [Via BGR]...

Band accuses Apple of ripping off their music video concept Posted: 10 Sep 2014 10:00 AM PDT There was a lot to see during yesterday's epic Apple event, and it all started with a very cool video called "Perspective." The 2-minute clip is a pretty standard event-opening video for Apple, stating some principles the company believes in and...

Kunin - Ninja in Training: high flying, sword swinging addiction Posted: 10 Sep 2014 09:30 AM PDT Released today for iPhone and iPad users is the newest member of the "ninja cutting things up" family of games, Kunin - Ninja in Training. In the game, our little ninja perches on a single stalk of bamboo in the middle of a misty lagoon, while unseen...

Sprint announces new 'IPhone for Life' leasing plan Posted: 10 Sep 2014 09:00 AM PDT Following Apple's iPhone 6 announcement, US wireless carrier Sprint took the wraps off its new wireless service plan that'll allow subscribers to get a new iPhone every two years. The new "iPhone for Life" plan costs US$70 per month and includes...

Business side of Apple's exclusive launch of U2's 'Songs of Innocence' album Posted: 10 Sep 2014 08:30 AM PDT As part of its iPhone and Watch unveiling, Apple also released U2's "Songs of Innocence" album for free to all its iTunes users. Though U2 will benefit from Apple's promotion of its latest release, the band is not giving its album away for free....

Flickr Find: An office meant for daydreaming Posted: 10 Sep 2014 08:00 AM PDT With ribbon windows and reflective glass desks, it's a wonder how iBSSR gets any work accomplished in his office. Even with a gorgeous iMac, it would be hard not to daydream while looking at these extremely impressive surroundings. Did you know that...

Sound Circle won't let you sleep Posted: 10 Sep 2014 07:30 AM PDT I love napping. I could make excuses about it making me more productive and alert, but the simple fact is that naps and sleeping are a great personal pleasure. It's not easy to nap just everywhere and at anytime. I find that "white noise" and...

A theory as to why Apple's live video stream was a complete bust Posted: 10 Sep 2014 07:00 AM PDT Apple's media event offered no shortage of exciting announcements, but folks hoping to catch the product unveilings live as they happened via Apple's very own livestream were left sorely disappointed. To be blunt, Apple's effort to livestream...

It's dragon popping time in Dragon Poppers Posted: 10 Sep 2014 06:30 AM PDT Dragon Poppers is a puzzle game where you try to clear the board of dragons by setting off a chain reaction eliminating other dragons in a horizontal and vertical pattern. The game starts out with 105 levels in the first pack, but there are over 800...

Apple will reportedly receive a small percentage from each Apple Pay transaction Posted: 10 Sep 2014 06:00 AM PDT Apple yesterday introduced a new mobile payment platform dubbed Apple Pay that will enable iPhone 6 users to seamlessly pay for goods and services without having to take out a credit card. Instead, a simple and subtle wave of one's iPhone next to a...

Follow local schools with USA Today High School Sports Posted: 10 Sep 2014 05:30 AM PDT We have seen a real surge of interest in high school sports over the last several years. The growth spurt coincides with the big increase in coverage of major college recruiting in basketball and especially football. Now with the USA Today High...

The Apple Watch isn't waterproof Posted: 09 Sep 2014 07:00 PM PDT Well, that's a bit of a bummer. Given coatings like Liquipel, I'm a bit surprised to learn via David Pogue's article that the Apple Watch will be water resistant, but not waterproof. As Apple explained to Pogue, you can wear the watch in the rain,...

Tim Cook: Work on the Apple Watch began after Steve Jobs died Posted: 09 Sep 2014 06:00 PM PDT In a short video interview ABC News anchor David Muir conducted with Tim Cook following today's Apple Watch announcement, the Apple CEO talked a bit about the impact Steve Jobs had on him and Apple at large. Echoing a statement he's made on a number...

All of the Apple Watch promotional videos are now viewable online Posted: 09 Sep 2014 05:30 PM PDT Well folks, the iWatch -- oh excuse me, make that the Apple Watch -- is real. On the not-so-off chance that you missed some of the promotional videos Apple showed during today's presentation (Apple's disjointed live feed is a topic for another day),...

Here are the funniest Tweets from the iPhone 6 event Posted: 09 Sep 2014 05:00 PM PDT Today was a big day not only for Apple but for satire minded Twitterers as well. With technical glitches, sound issues, and cutting edge technology there was a lot to joke about. We've compiled the funniest Tweets from today's event below. You can...

Apple's new iCloud pricing: Better, bigger, still not much for free Posted: 09 Sep 2014 04:00 PM PDT Apple has announced new iCloud pricing, kind of an important thing when you consider that the company will soon be asking us to take more of our images and documents off of our devices and entrust them to the cloud. The new pricing strategy starts...