How To AirPlay Mirror Mac To Samsung Smart TV Without Apple TV

There was a time when it became a bit of a running joke to claim that there “was an app for that”, meaning that no matter what it was that you wanted to achieve, the likelihood was that someone had built an app that would perform that task or solve that problem on your behalf. Of course, as things have progressed in the app age, it seems that there really is an app for pretty much everything, a notion that has been cemented in place by the fact that there is now a native Mac OS X app that allow users AirPlay-like mirroring of content directly from an Apple Mac to a Samsung Smart TV without the need for an Apple TV interjection.

Apple’s AirPlay protocol essentially allows consumers to take some form of content playing on one Apple device – such as music playing on an iPhone, or the screen of a Mac – and mirror it across to another device on the same network through the use of AirPlay magic. When talking about Macs however, it has become common practice for users to share the machine’s display to an Apple TV connected to a high-definition television set via AirPlay. A perfect combination for sharing presentations with a larger audience or sending a movie from the Mac to a television in the living room.

Until now, there was no easy way of achieve the same level of connectivity without an Apple TV. Step forward Mirror for Samsung TV on the Mac App Store to bridge that gap for owners of Samsung Smart TVs.

The $9.99 app may not be the cheapest third-party app that you’ve ever purchased or downloaded, but its ability to stream whatever is playing on your Mac directly to a Samsung Smart TV means it is definitely worthy of the price-tag for anyone who has been waiting patiently for this type of functionality which negates the necessity of an Apple TV. The app automatically begins the process by scanning the local network for a Samsung Smart TV manufactured after the year 2012.

Called AirBeamTV, the developers behind this mirroring app for Samsung TVs say that “in using the app, there will be a couple of seconds of latency (usually between 1 and 3). So this mirroring is not suitable for gaming.” The developer also advises users to hook up their Smart TV to the Internet via a LAN cable if possible for the best results.

Given these intricacies, the developer has also published a free trial version of the product to allow less technically au fait consumers to see if their Samsung TV is compatible with the app before shelling out the $9.99. You can grab it from airbeamtv.tumblr.com.

(Download: Mirror for Samsung TV for Mac from the Mac App Store)

(via: 9to5Mac)

How To Get Detailed Unknown Caller ID Info On iPhone For Free

Receiving unsolicited phone calls can not only be annoying, but it can be downright dangerous as well depending on the situation. Nobody wants to be disturbed by nuisance calls, which is why WhoApp, a new iOS app that is free to download, is so interesting.

Once downloaded and configured, WhoApp works by taking calls that a user does not recognize and then producing as much data as it can about the caller. WhoApp will tell the user where the call is coming from, geographically, and even display a Google Maps or Street View image that shows the exact building the call originated from. The caller’s name and picture will also be displayed, if available.

The way all this works is a little convoluted, but also brilliant, in a way. When a user receives a call that they don’t recognize, they reject the call like normal. The call is then forwarded to WhoApp’s service, which then immediately forwards it back to the caller via the WhoApp software.

Before they answer, the user is provided with the information they require in order to make a decision as to whether to answer the call, or bounce it to their WhoApp voicemail. It’s really quite clever, indeed.

Now that we’ve told you about all the work WhoApp is doing, we suspect the obvious question of cost has begun to be asked. How can an app like this be available for free in the App Store? You may be forgiven for thinking that in-app purchases are the simple fix here, but you’d be wrong. So far, at least, it appears WhoApp is absolutely free to download and importantly, free to use. It worries us a bit, but we’re sure the folks at WhoApp know what they’re doing!

You can download WhoApp now and if you receive a lot of calls you don’t want, then the app might be just right for you.

(Download: WhoApp for iPhone on the App Store)

Photos Of iPhone 7 Plus Dual-Lens Camera And 256GB Storage Chip Leaked

With May now drawing to a close, we are just a few short months away from what we all expect to be the iPhone 7 announcement and subsequent launch, and if the rumors and past releases are any indication, it’s set to be a big one. We’ve also started to encounter the odd meaningful leak surrounding the device as well, with the latest suggesting that not only will the iPhone 7 Plus come with a dual-lens camera configuration, but also a new 256GB storage option at the high-end.

A new leak, courtesy of Weibo, shows what appears to be a dual-lens camera setup for what is claimed to be an iPhone 7 Plus.

The two-lens approach will allow for all kinds of magic to be carried out under the hood, but what it will essentially boil down to is better photos and video, and that’s always a good thing to have. If this leak is genuine, and we’re seeing little at this point to suggest that it is not, then the iPhone 7 will be the first iOS device to feature a dual-lens camera setup.

When you have two lenses capturing data, you need somewhere to put it all, so it’s perhaps not all that surprising that the Weibo leak also included what appears to be a 256GB memory chip from the as-yet unannounced iPhone 7 Plus.

That larger storage option is one that Apple has been rumored to have up its sleeve for a good while now, and many would be pleased to see it finally come to fruition. Unfortunately, it’s currently unknown whether this means the anaemic 16GB models will be gone for good, but we doubt it.

The iPhone 7, set to be announced around September this year, is set to be something of a stop-gap product, with the real external redesign coming next year, according to reports. Hopefully, a new camera and extra storage isn’t all we can look forward to for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

(Via: @stagueve [Twitter])

New iPhone 7 Concept Shows 4K Display That Wraps Around Edges, Buff Specs [Video]

iPhone concept designs give those with a skill for 3D modelling a great outlet for their creative side, and we’ve seen some truly exceptional artwork and videos created by those who have tried to imagine what a future iPhone will look like. What makes so many of these concepts so great is that their designers don’t worry about such trivial things as whether the concept is actually able to be produced or not, and removing those boundaries can result in some excellent designs.

Take this latest iPhone 7 concept video, created by DBS Videography in collaboration with I’m Technologies as a prime example of that. Watching the pair’s near two-minute concept video will give you an idea as to what an iPhone could be like if all of our wishes came true. An iPhone 7 that looks infinitely more interesting than the one we are being led to expect due to various hardware leaks, this concept doesn’t just look awesome, but it has theoretical brawn to go with those aesthetics.

The most striking part of the concept is the screen. Filling the entire face of the device, except for two small areas at the top and bottom for boring things like the Home button, the earpiece and front-facing camera, the 5-inch screen on the iPhone 7 concept features a 4K resolution, just as the screen in the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus.

Speaking of cameras, by the way, the rear-facing camera in this concept is a 24-megapixel affair, so great photos for everyone! The display wraps itself around the edges of both devices, allowing for digital volume controls and a new space for notifications, much like in Samsung’s Galaxy S7 Edge.

If we had to be absolutely honest, if the iPhone 7 did actually look like this, we would be overjoyed. We wouldn’t even need the pie in the sky internals either – just give us this device with a spruced up iPhone 6s inside and we reckon we would quite happily take that.

We suspect many others would, too.

(Source: DBS Videography [YouTube])