Thursday 31 October 2019

The 10 Settings You Need to Change on Your Amazon Fire TV

In a crowded marketplace, the Amazon Fire TV sticks and boxes remain some of the simplest and least expensive ways to get music and movies up on your big-screen TV—especially if you’re invested in Amazon’s streaming services. If you own a Fire TV device, here are ten tricks to get more from it.

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Deals: Amazon Discounts Refurbished 2018 MacBook Pros and Adorama Introduces Low Price on iPhone XR Smart Battery Case

New sales have rolled out this Halloween, with Amazon marking down a selection of refurbished MacBook Pro models from 2018 and Adorama introducing the lowest price we've seen on Apple's iPhone XR Smart Battery Case.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Refurbished 15-Inch MacBook Pro (2018)


Amazon has a trio of refurbished 15-inch MacBook Pro models from 2018, with prices starting at $1,779.99. These sales are for the high-end configurations with 16GB RAM and Intel Core i7 processors, with savings reaching as high as $709 off the original prices of these models.

Amazon's "renewed" products are promised to work and look like new, and have been inspected and tested by Amazon-qualified suppliers. Each MacBook Pro comes with a 90-day guarantee, so if you aren't satisfied you can return the computer during that period.

iPhone XR Smart Battery Case


If you're on the hunt for a Smart Battery Case for the iPhone XR, Adorama has marked down this accessory to the low price of $99.99, down from $129.00. At $29 off, this is the lowest price we've seen the iPhone XR Smart Battery Case at any of the major Apple resellers.


Apple's Smart Battery Case increases talk time up to 39 hours, Internet use up to 22 hours, and video playback up to 27 hours. It's also compatible with Qi-certified wireless chargers, so you'll be able to refuel the case and your iPhone at the same time. Head to Adorama to check out the sale before it ends.

Also note that the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max versions of this accessory are on sale for $102 on Amazon right now.

Head to our full Deals Roundup for a more detailed look at all of the latest Apple-related sales going on this week.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

This article, "Deals: Amazon Discounts Refurbished 2018 MacBook Pros and Adorama Introduces Low Price on iPhone XR Smart Battery Case" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple Said to Receive 16-Inch MacBook Pro Shipments This Quarter, Launch Timing Remains Unclear

While it is unclear if the widely rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro will launch in 2019 or 2020, the latest report from DigiTimes claims that Apple will begin receiving volume shipments of the notebook in the fourth quarter of this year. Taiwan-based manufacturer Quanta Computer is said to be the key supplier.

The report reiterates that the 16-inch MacBook Pro will have an ultra-thin-bezel design, suggesting the overall size of the notebook might be similar to the existing 15-inch MacBook Pro despite having a larger display.

16-inch MacBook Pro concept by MacRumors

Apple receiving volume shipments of the 16-inch MacBook Pro in the fourth quarter does not necessarily mean the notebook will launch in the fourth quarter. Apple may simply be planning to stockpile the 16-inch MacBook Pro ahead of the U.S. government's proposed 15 percent import tariff on an additional round of Chinese goods, including notebooks, slated to take effect December 15.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo originally said the 16-inch MacBook Pro would launch in the fourth quarter of 2019 with an all-new design, including a scissor switch keyboard. As of late, however, Kuo has more vaguely stated that a "new MacBook model" with a scissor keyboard will launch in mid 2020. It's unclear if the "new MacBook model" that Kuo has referred to more recently is the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Multiple images corresponding to a 16-inch MacBook Pro have been found in macOS Catalina in recent weeks, including one that reveals that Touch ID will likely be separated from the Touch Bar on the notebook. The leaked design lends credence to the Esc key also being a separate, physical key again, as can be seen when zooming in to the previously leaked 16-inch MacBook Pro icon.


MacRumors has confirmed the location of the Touch Bar image in macOS Catalina. The filename includes "Device16."


DigiTimes previously said the 16-inch MacBook Pro would launch by the end of October, and today is the final day of the month. The site does not have the best track record when it comes to the timing of new Apple products, but its connections within Apple's supply chain are occasionally accurate.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Caution)

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Matt Reeves' Batman Has Officially Found Its Jim Gordon

Two Amells are teaming up for an indie superhero showdown. Netflix has its fangs out for a new vampire series. Pennyworth, Another Life, and Creepshow will all return. Plus, Krypto rides into action in new Titans pictures and Riverdale gets way into genetics. Happy spoiloween, everybody!

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Apple Did Buy Rights to 'AirTag' Trademark, Source Confirms

Apple has bought the "AirTag" trademark for its rumored item tracking device from a Russian group of companies that specializes in RFID technology, according to a Russian media outlet.


RBC reports that ISBC, which describes itself as "The leading smart card and RFID tag manufacturer in Russia," sold Apple the "AirTag" trademark as part of an agreement that would see the group develop its products under a single brand, according to a source familiar with the details of the transaction.

In a statement posted on the ISBC website today, the group confirmed that it had indeed completed a transaction to transfer the rights to the "AirTag" trademark, but said that details about buyer would not be disclosed under the terms of confidentiality.
ISBC® group of companies have decided to bet on enhancing development of its own products under a single namesake trademark ISBC®. This rebranding decision is very much conditioned by international deal on assignment of the trademark AIRTAG®.

[...]

Transfer of RFID keyfobs from AIRTAG® brand to our flagship one - ISBC® - evidences our confidence in future of the product and solutions related. Confidentiality agreed does not allow us to disclose the deal in detail. But we may express our confidence the the future of AIRTAG® trademark we have envisaged and registered internationally will be bright, the whole world will learn and love the new product so named.
On Monday, the public release of iOS 13.2 revealed information suggesting Apple may be planning to call its rumored Tile-like item tracking accessory "AirTags."

Looking into the status of trademark activity surrounding the term, MacRumors come across some curious recent developments that could be signs of Apple acquiring the trademark rights, although a smoking gun concretely linking Apple to the activity was unavailable at the time.

Apple is rumored to be working on Tile-like Bluetooth trackers that can be used to keep track of items that are often lost, such as keys, wallets, and more.


Multiple rumors have confirmed Apple's work on ‌‌AirTags‌‌, which are expected, based on leaked assets, to be little round circles that can be attached to your items to make them locatable through the Find My app right alongside your Apple devices.

‌‌AirTags‌‌ will connect to iPhones, iPads, Macs, and more via Bluetooth, and will leverage the ultra-wideband U1 chip in the newest iPhones for more precise indoor tracking that's unmatched by competitors.

As we found earlier this year, there will also be an augmented reality component that will let you use your device's camera to pinpoint exactly where a lost item might be. Longer-range tracking will also be available, and ‌‌AirTags‌‌ will likely take advantage of the offline crowd-sourced tracking feature that was added in ‌iOS 13‌.

There is no word on when ‌‌AirTags‌‌ will be released, but given that Apple has been adding new details to each beta, there's a possibility that the accessories are coming this year, perhaps even quite soon.

(Thanks, Sergey!)

Tag: AirTags

This article, "Apple Did Buy Rights to 'AirTag' Trademark, Source Confirms" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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