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 Today, Apple has unveiled the latest generation of the iPhone in the form of the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus. Rumors have been swirling for the past few months, with suggestions that Apple would integrate a Force Touch Display, update the devices’ cameras, and use a more powerful processor. Read More

At its fall event today, Apple announced that it's adding something called 3D Touch technology to its new iPhones, meaning the screen can sense multiple levels of pressure. The feature first appeared in simpler form on the Apple Watch as "Force Touch," where it can be used to clear all notifications with a single press. In the iPhone, a system measures the distance between the glass and the backlight to detect how hard the user is pressing.

The addition of 3D Touch has been widely expected, having been rumored in recent days and weeks, and it's a pretty obvious one — it could mean big things for iPhone gaming, for instance. New gestures called "Peek" and "Pop" let you call up contextual menus on home screen icons, letting you go...

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We know you’re always paying 100% attention to every meeting you go to, but how does everyone else know when you’ve got your laptop open or are looking at your phone? Scribble in a paper notebook, however, and you might look like the only one who’s paying attention.

Technology has a way of distracting people—not just you, meeting attendee typing on your laptop, but the presenters and everyone else at the table. With a simple paper notebook, however, you look like you’re taking notes and are quite serious about the meeting compared to those not taking notes or possibly updating their Facebook statuses regarding boring meetings. You can (and probably should) take actual notes, of course, but if you need to fake interest or attention, scribbling in a notebook might do.

We’re not saying Evernote founder Phil Libin ever pretends to pay attention during meetings, but this tip comes from him:

“If you use a notebook, if you like write in a notebook while you’re talking to someone, they’ll feel like, ‘Man, this person really cares about me.’ It totally flips the odometer the other way. You are signaling deep caring and interest.” [...] “Even if you’re just drawing houses and clouds and unicorns,” Libin said.

Evernote founder shares his secret to looking interested during meetings | Business Insider

Photo by indi.ca.

16 Amazing Palaces In India That Put Disney To Shame

Sphero's Star Wars BB-8 is sure to be the Cabbage Patch Kid of this Christmas, the ungettable gift that will spur mall fistfights, eBay price gouging, and plenty of crying kids (and adults). uBreakiFix cracked one open to see how it ticks. Read the rest

Nicola Austen told police she only wanted to “have a good time” snorting $450 worth of coke with her 18-year-old daughter.

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The National Geographic magazine has been a nonprofit publication since inception in 1888, but that ends today. The long-running American publication becomes very much for-profit under a $725 million dollar deal announced today with 21st Century Fox, the entertainment company controlled by the family of Rupert Murdoch.

Murdoch is a notorious climate change denier, and his family's Fox media empire is the world's primary source of global warming misinformation. Which would be no big deal here, I guess, were it not for the fact that the National Geographic Society's mission includes giving grants to scientists.

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Apple has just unveiled its fourth-generation Apple TV set-top box, and a lot has changed over the past few attempts. While the Apple TV hardware is a lot different, Apple has also created an App Store specifically for its new TV. It's all thanks to a new UI and tvOS operating system that appears to be a lot speedier than previous iterations. Apple CEO Tim Cook was quick to note that the future of TV is apps, during his appearance on stage in San Francisco today. ""Our vision for TV is simple and perhaps a little provocative. We believe the future of television is apps."

While existing apps will be available on the new Apple TV, iTunes TV, iTunes Movies, and Apple Music apps have all been redesigned for the new model. Developers will be...

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In conjunction with the announcement of the new Apple TV today, Apple took the wraps off a new remote control — and it's got a lot going on. A touch-sensitive glass surface serves as the primary means of input, but the remote also support for Siri as Apple pushes its voice assistant deeper across its product portfolio. It can also be turned sideways and used for gaming. Other buttons include Menu, Play / Pause, Display, and a volume rocker. (Missing are forward and rewind controls, but presumably that's all done through the touch-sensitive surface now.)

The remote is actually a pretty big deal: the outgoing remote has been an ultra-simple unit that's been kicking around for a long time, while the new one is an ultra-capable unit that...

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The long-awaited overhaul to Apple's living room set-top box is here. Today the company is unveiling its latest Apple TV with a revised physical design, faster internals, updated remote, and key new features including a built-in App Store. "It's the golden age of television," said CEO Tim Cook. "Our vision for TV is simple and perhaps a little provocative. We believe the future of television is apps."

With the newly built-in app store, Apple and third-party developers will expand Apple TV's software ecosystem and widen its core functionality to put a much bigger emphasis on gaming. "When you consume this way, you realize just how much better it can be," Cook said. This is the next step in Apple's attempt to own the living room, and...

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Apple's iPad mini is among the iOS devices getting a fresh update for 2015 today. Following on from the iPad Pro, "the biggest news in iPad since iPad," the mini tablet's refresh is rather less revolutionary. The new iPad mini 4, says Apple, packs "the power of the iPad Air 2" into a smaller size. It will be priced from $399, accompanied by a price reduction for the iPad mini 2 to $269.

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Apple always invites third-party developers to show off some of the most impressive new apps coming to its devices, but today it had something of a surprise guest: Microsoft. Apple brought Microsoft's Kirk Konigsbauer on stage to demonstrate how Office apps would work on the iPad Pro. For the most part, there's nothing unexpected here — Office for iPad is already a powerful and good looking suite of apps; now they're just optimized for the iPad Pro's larger screen. Office is also going to be supporting Apple's new stylus, the Apple Pencil.

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Apple just announced the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro, its biggest iPad yet. It's a more powerful and more capable iPad than ever before, and it comes with something many thought Apple would never sell with an iOS device: a stylus. The Apple Pencil is what it called and it includes pressure sensitive technology and can be used simultaneously with a finger. Pressing lightly will produce a thin strong, while firmer pressure can result in a heavier, darker stroke. That's similar to how Samsung's S Pen works on its various Note smartphones and tablets.

The Pencil is an active stylus and is recharged via a Lightning connector hidden inside its body. It can recharge right from the iPad Pro's port. Physically, the Pencil is round, which means it...

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After months of rumors and speculation, the iPad Pro is here. Apple has unveiled its latest addition to the iPad tablet lineup during a special press event in San Francisco this morning. Like the rumors suggested, the iPad Pro is a larger version of the traditional iPad. Apple CEO Tim Cook says it's the "biggest news in iPad since the iPad.”

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My bestselling 2008 novel YA novel Little Brother has been optioned by Paramount, with Don Murphy (Natural Born Killers, Transformers) as the producer. Read the rest

Canon announced that is has developed a new APS-H size CMOS sensor capable of capturing at a resolution of 250 megapixels. It is the world highest pixel count on a CMOS sensor under 35mm.

This new sensor is said to be so incredible; it was able to distinguish lettering on the side of an airplane that was flying approximately 11 miles away. The Sensor was also capable of filming video footage with a resolution approximately 30 times that of 4K video.

Canon is considering putting this sensor technology into specialized surveillance and crime prevention monitoring.

TOKYO, September 7, 2015—Canon Inc. announced today that it has developed an APS-H-size (approx. 29.2 x 20.2 mm) CMOS sensor incorporating approximately 250 million pixels (19,580 x 12,600 pixels), the world's highest number of pixels1 for a CMOS sensor smaller than the size of a 35 mm full-frame sensor.

When installed in a camera, the newly developed sensor was able to capture images enabling the distinguishing of lettering on the side of an airplane flying at a distance of approximately 18 km from the shooting location.2

With CMOS sensors, increases in pixel counts result in increased signal volume, which can cause such problems as signal delays and slight discrepancies in timing. The new Canon-developed CMOS sensor, however, despite its exceptionally high pixel count, achieves an ultra-high signal readout speed of 1.25 billion pixels per second, made possible through such advancements as circuit miniaturization and enhanced signal-processing technology. Accordingly, the sensor enables the capture of ultra-high-pixel-count video at a speed of five frames per second. Additionally, despite the exceptionally high pixel count, Canon applied its sensor technologies cultivated over many years to realize an architecture adapted for miniaturized pixels that delivers high-sensitivity, low-noise imaging performance.

Video footage captured by the camera outfitted with the approximately 250-megapixel CMOS sensor achieved a level of resolution that was approximately 125 times that of Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) video and approximately 30 times that of 4K (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) video. The exceptionally high definition made possible by the sensor lets users crop and magnify video images without sacrificing image resolution and clarity.

Canon is considering the application of this technology in specialized surveillance and crime prevention tools, ultra-high-resolution measuring instruments and other industrial equipment, and the field of visual expression.

Source: Canon via BGR

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the upcoming seventh instalment of the Star Wars series. September 4th was "Force Friday" and featured the official merchandise for the movie. Included in this merchandise was the BB-8 developed by Sphere.

This super cool little app-enabled droid toy has an adaptive personality that evolves as you play. The BB-8 takes voice commands and can show a range of expressions and even create and display holographic recordings. What will likely be on every Star Wars fan's Christmas wish list, this little gadget will pair with your phone or tablet and allow you to control its movements. You can command it using your voice, in a sentry mode moving between pre-determined areas, or in an autonomous way where it roams on its own.

The BB-8 will work with both iOS and Android devices, and will only have enough battery for about 60 minutes of play. There is an included inductive charger to keep it going, and it features a 30-meter range on Bluetooth to communicate.

Purchase the BB-8 Droid Star Wars Toy / $ 149.99

 

Google is done shrugging off its easter egg in Android M. While the Preview releases show a string of ¯_(ツ)_/¯ after tapping the Android version number repeatedly in settings, the official Marshmallow release will have an honest-to-God easter egg. Here is a look at it in the screenshot below.

Yes, it looks like Flappy Bird's mechanics are back again as the recipe for Marshmallow's hidden gem. You'll try to save your green Android from deathly contact with those monstrous Androidified marshmallows, only to see it fall to its inevitable doom at their hands.

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[Harshmallows] Here's The Android 6.0 Marshmallow Easter Egg And a Bonus Higher Resolution Android M Logo was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

• Update 1: 2015/09/08 9:00am PDT
  Nexus 9

There are some new OTA updates rolling out to Nexus devices today, but don't expect any big changes. T-Mobile has posted the update details for Nexus 4, 5, 6, and 7 LTE patches. They're all minor security and bug fix updates, but that's nothing to scoff at.

Like most carriers, T-Mobile will probably have its own variant of the Nexus 6 OTA. In this case it's LYZ28K.

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T-Mobile Announces Security OTAs For The Nexus 4, 5, 6, And 7 [Update: And Nexus 9] was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

eBay's mobile apps are getting a brand new coat of paint. The new eBay 4.0, which hit iOS and Android this morning, is a major new upgrade for the online marketplace, offering a greatly simplified UI and a more customized overall experience for the site's seller.

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The web has a few simple commands, found so often that they become second nature. There are address bars, back buttons, links, windows… and if you're a Pocket user, there's a save button.

For eight years, the company has been building one of the best "save for later" services on the web, one that's now attracted 17 million registered users and more than a billion saved stories. In June, the company partnered with Firefox for a built-in dashboard button, giving it the biggest audience yet. But it's still unclear how Pocket will turn their popular product into a money-making business. We went inside Pocket headquarters to talk to founder Nate Weiner about how he plans to scale the business. Interestingly, he said it may have more to do...

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Twitter for Windows has been a perfect example of Microsoft's app problems; sure, the app exists, but it has fallen far behind Twitter's smartphone apps in terms of features and functionality. Today, Twitter for Windows is taking a much-needed step forward and adding group messaging, multi-account support, lists, and other improvements.

There's a new Happening Now section (pictured at top) which should keep you up on whatever's trending at all times. You can also now quote tweets in the same format that's become standard across Twitter's other apps, and Twitter for Windows 10 will automatically save your incomplete tweets as drafts so you can quickly bring them up later. Sure, this all sounds like basic stuff if you've been...

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Google has released a new royal edition of its Maps mascot Pegman to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's new record as Britain's longest-reigning monarch. The figurine — dubbed PegMa'am — shows up when viewing Buckingham Palace and the surrounding area in Google Maps or Street View. As of today, Queen Elizabeth II has reigned for 23,226 days, surpassing the record set by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria.

The BBC reports that the Queen "let it be known" that she did not want undue recognition of the milestone (it's apparently "bad form" for one queen to celebrate beating another queen's record), although larger events have been planned for the monarch's 90th birthday in May next year. Google evidently got the message, though, and as...

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It's sometimes hard to remember how far virtual reality has come in recent years. Not just in terms of technical achievement (though that's impressive), but also mainstream awareness. The idea of strapping a VR headset to your face is so common now, that Kellogg's is offering cardboard goggles with its breakfast cereal. A new promotion for Nutri-Grain in New Zealand lets customers construct their own headset from a cereal box, with the display provided by their smartphone. An official app offers access to a handful of 360-degree VR experiences including wingsuiting and a downhill mountain bike ride. Although we've not been able to try these for ourselves (you need to scan a QR code from the cereal box), the iOS and Android app does...

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If you’re sick of rooting through a drawer full of scarves, get them organized and on easy display in your closet. It won’t take up much room at all.

If you have a lot of scarves, you know they can be a pain to organize. Sure, you can stuff them in a drawer, (or fold them neatly, I suppose), but then it’s hard to browse through them. And draping them over a hanger usually just turns into a jumbled mess. Add some shower curtain rings to that hanger, though, and suddenly you have an organized, easy to browse collection that doesn’t take up much space. Personally, I’d go with a wooden hanger and rings, but who am I to judge?

Scarf Organization | Peeking Pines via Pinterest

 Another keyboard contender is taking aim at the touchscreen typing experience. Meet Wrio, a keyboard-in-development that changes the shape of the keys from squares to honeycomb-style hexagons in a bid to make keys a more finger-friendly shape and squeeze out typos. Read More

Nokia is getting back into the smartphone game, and this might be the first real image of the device that reintroduces the brand to phone buyers. Earlier this summer, Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri said that the Finnish company will indeed look to make a return, by designing and licensing handsets, to the mobile market once its agreement with Microsoft to not use the Nokia name on smartphones had expired. Having been barred from branding any smartphones as Nokias until the end of 2015, the company is now working on its plans for 2016 and beyond, which it has said will not conflict with Microsoft's mobile efforts: "Microsoft makes mobile phones. We would simply design them and then make the brand name available to license."

Like the N1 tablet,...

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Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.

Featured App

Find Dining: Restaurant Finder

This week's roundup is brought to you by Find Dining: Restaurant Finder from HandyApps.

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21 New And Notable (And 1 WTF) Android Apps From The Last 2 Weeks (8/25/15 - 9/7/15) was written by the awesome team at Android Police.