The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

Start the 2014-2015 PGA Tour season with the Golf Channel app Posted: 19 Sep 2014 03:30 PM PDT The PGA Tour just held its tour championship event and the Ryder Cup is in late September, but we are only three weeks away from the start of the 2014-2015 PGA season. To get fans off to a good start The Golf Channel has launched a completely...

Belkin WeMo Smart LED Bulbs take on Philips hue lux in smart lightbulb market Posted: 19 Sep 2014 03:00 PM PDT The home automation market keeps heating up, and one of the biggest players in that market -- Belkin, with its WeMo line -- has added a new product that may be the entry into home control for a lot of new customers. The WeMo LED Lighting Starter Kit...

TunnelBear VPN lets you surf, securely Posted: 19 Sep 2014 02:30 PM PDT TunnelBear VPN is a simple app that works beautifully to let you securely surf online using your iPhone or iPad (and there's a Mac version as well). A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is an encrypted connection to a server that permits you to be online...

Apple has a "War Room" to monitor iOS 8 problems as they emerge on social media Posted: 19 Sep 2014 02:00 PM PDT A Reddit user yesterday described an interesting experience he recently had with Apple customer service. After downloading iOS 8 this week, Reddit user Kiggsworthy and his wife set up Family Sharing and discovered that they could not download content...

Video: Stephen Colbert loves woos his iPhone 6, breaks iPhone 5s heart Posted: 19 Sep 2014 01:30 PM PDT One of the perks of being Stephen Colbert is getting your iPhone 6+ early. The fake news commentator debuted his device last night by wooing the iPhone 6+ and throwing his iPhone 5s away like a summer fling. It's not just bragging, though Colbert...

iPhone 6 models expected to spur wave of Android switchers Posted: 19 Sep 2014 01:00 PM PDT The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus went on sale today and the lines at Apple Stores around the world are absolutely insane. At Apple's flagship Fifth Avenue store in New York City, for example, the line at one point spanned a full 12 city blocks. It's...

The 5 best iOS apps for International Talk Like A Pirate Day Posted: 19 Sep 2014 12:45 PM PDT Ahoy, mateys! In case you hadn't caught wind of today's significance, let me be the one to welcome you aboard: Today is International Talk Like A Pirate Day! If you'd like to participate, feel free to make horrible puns (as I've been doing all day)...

Rocketeer! flies, but not exactly out of this world Posted: 19 Sep 2014 12:30 PM PDT Rocketeer! is a free in the App Store for iPhone and iPad users, and features a little rocket, perpetually moving forward through space, dodging craggy rock formations and doing what we all try to do in our real lives: get money and keep the fuel...

iPhone 6 Plus first impressions Posted: 19 Sep 2014 12:15 PM PDT While recording an episode of the British Tech Network Mac Show this morning, I was happy to hear my doorbell ring as I knew that meant that the UPS truck had arrived with my iPhone 6 Plus. After a hurried run down to the front door to sign for the...

Take a look at the guts of the iPhone 6+ with the iFixit teardown video Posted: 19 Sep 2014 12:00 PM PDT The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were released today, creating long lines at stores as eager Apple fans waited to pick up their new phones. But what is inside those phones? To answer that question the fine folks at iFixit have released a new teardown video...

Paging Colonel Panic to the White Courtesy iPhone Posted: 19 Sep 2014 10:30 AM PDT TUAW love Colonel Sanders and kernels of popcorn, but as far as colonels and kernels go, you probably don't want a kernel panic on your brand new iPhone 6. Reader Jason Lang sent in this screen of sadness. Normally, iOS devices automatically reboot...

Daily Deals for September 19, 2013, featuring the NES30 Bluetooth Controller Posted: 19 Sep 2014 09:00 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....

Searching for the big idea behind the little Apple Watch Posted: 19 Sep 2014 08:00 AM PDT Unlike the iPhone and the iPad, which created entirely new design spaces, the Apple Watch looks to be following the market, not leading it. We've seen the Fitbit. We've seen the Pebble. We've seen Google Glass. So why should we care in the slightest...

Apple's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus crack under the pressure of drop tests Posted: 19 Sep 2014 07:00 AM PDT It's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus day today with Apple starting to sell its two new iPhone handsets at its stores in select locations worldwide. As with most iPhone launches, there are long lines, excited customers and the inevitable torture tests where eager...

Video: The first person to buy the iPhone 6 in Perth immediately dropped it Posted: 19 Sep 2014 06:00 AM PDT We're all clumsy sometimes, but thankfully our "butterfingers moments" are hidden behind the veil of anonymity. People don't see us spill milk, trip over the cat, or break out phones by dropping them in the parking lot. Sometimes, however, life isn't...

Track the Ryder Cup with Sportfusion Unofficial News Edition Posted: 19 Sep 2014 05:30 AM PDT Over the last twenty-five years the Ryder Cup has become a major sporting event. The biennial competition between golfers from the United States and players from Great Britain and continental Europe draws huge crowds and television ratings. Now you...

Tweets and pics from iPhone lines in US and Canada Posted: 18 Sep 2014 08:15 PM PDT We asked, you sent 'em. If you're in line tonight (or tomorrow morning) and can send us a picture of the line at your iPhone store on our Twitter account (@TUAW, hashtag #tuawiphone6), you may end up in this post! We'll keep updating as the night...

iPhone 6 Plus teardown analysis reveals 1GB of RAM, high-capacity battery Posted: 18 Sep 2014 08:00 PM PDT As the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus go on sale in Australia and other countries, repair ships like iFixit and iExperts have already torn apart the handsets to see what Apple has hidden inside its new phones. As noted by both analyses, the inside of the 6 and...

Exclusive: iCracked will buy your old iPhone from you while you're in line for your iPhone 6 Posted: 18 Sep 2014 06:00 PM PDT If you're planning on standing in line at an Apple Store for an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus tomorrow morning, you might be able to actually sell your old iPhone while you wait and have money available to buy the new device. iCracked has a brilliant idea...

Griffin Technology is giving away five iPhone 6's Posted: 18 Sep 2014 05:30 PM PDT Don't have the money on hand to pick up a new iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus? No problem, provided you're lucky. Accessories manufacturer Griffin Technology will have representatives on hand at Nashville's Green Hills Apple Store, Miami's Lincoln Road...

Logoist 2 puts you in the logo creation business Posted: 18 Sep 2014 05:00 PM PDT Logoist 2 (introductory price of US$14.99 on the Mac App Store) is a terrific logo creation program that can help you turn out professional looking logos for stationary, presentations, invitations, postcards, just about anything where you need...

Ascend to bird heaven in Frinkle Posted: 18 Sep 2014 04:30 PM PDT Frinkle takes players on a challenging journey from bird hell, climbing higher and higher, to bird heaven. Players control the adventurous bird's vertical migration by tapping to make it jump and control it's flapping while trying to land on moving...

Bison iPhone 5/5s Wallet: Carry it all without the bulk Posted: 18 Sep 2014 04:00 PM PDT The Bison is an amazing animal that evokes the old West. Rugged, independent, and able to withstand weather extremes without blinking, they roam the new West in herds that are growing each year after being hunted almost to extinction in the late...

Today in the App Store -- the best free apps, new apps and app updates Posted: 18 Sep 2014 03:30 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 WorldMate [iOS...