Black Friday falls on November 25 this year; it’s the perfect time to save money on tech gifts for the holidays. Whether you’re looking for Black Friday iPad deals or Amazon gadgets, there’s plenty of Black Friday specials to go around. Target, in particular, has some of the best Black Friday deals this year, with Best Buy and Walmart tying for second. Amazon will feature its Echo at a great deal and cut back on tablet prices for Black Friday too. From iPhone and iPads to Apple Watches and the Amazon Echo, here’s the best deals you can expect on tech for Black Friday 2016.
News
Samsung's Bad Year Keeps Getting Worse
By Todd Bernhard
If you think the American voters have had a bad year, at least the election is over. Samsung's year seems to be getting worse, not better. Between exploding washing machines and of course, Galaxy Note 7 explosions, the company has had an "explosive" year. Samsung has tried to do the right thing by voluntarily recalling the washers and the smartphones in question. It even took out full page ads in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Washington Journal offering an apology. But the damage is done. Between the fires and battery explosions, airlines won't let you fly with one of the recalled Galaxy Note 7 phones. How likely is it they'll let the next version fly?
Apple has removed the headphone jack from the new iPhone 7, and a lot of people are not happy. Was the move absolutely necessary for innovation? Or is just Apple running out of ideas? Now that we've had a couple of weeks to digest the news and people are getting used to their new iPhones, I’d like to offer an alternative explanation.
iOS 10 is Apple’s biggest operating system update since iOS 7. You can finally remove stock apps from Home screen, and soon you’ll be able to ask Siri to hail you an Uber. Voicemails are now transcribed, the Messages app is having it’s own party with fireworks and confetti, Apple Music has been redesigned, and your iPhone can tell you when to go to bed. Yet even outlining all that, I’ve only scratched the surface of what you can do in iOS 10, which is why we created an easy, fun-to-watch video guide for iPhone Life Insiders. If you’re not familiar, iPhone Life Insiders receive daily video tips for mastering their iPhone in one minute a day. Among other features, they also receive in-depth guides filled with helpful information each time Apple does something new. Check out a sneak peak to the guide below where we’ll show you how to send handwritten messages and delete unwanted stock apps in iOS 10.
How to Avoid Losing Those AirPods
By Todd Bernhard
Apple introduced AirPods, its wireless earbuds, to deal with the lack of a headphone jack on the new iPhone 7. But those earbuds come with their own problems. As separate left and right pieces, you could easily lose one (or both) and ruin your day. Many competing Bluetooth earbuds are sold in one piece with a strap connecting both sides. This helps keep them together, and if one falls out of your ear, it might not hit the floor because the other earbud is tethered to it.
The iPhone 7 will ship with iOS 10, but users can begin to download and install iOS 10 next Tuesday, September 13. At its September event, Apple announced that iOS 10 is the biggest iOS release ever. And I would have to agree. Simply using the beta version of iOS 10 has convinced me I could never go back. Apple didn’t talk about iOS 10 much today, mostly as an intro to the iPhone 7 debut, but we’re going to cover everything you need to know about the latest and greatest operating system. This upgrade will seriously change how you use your iPhone from Siri’s ability to integrate with third-party apps to your ability to annoy friends with messages that rain confetti. Let’s take a look at the top ten iOS 10 changes coming to iPhone, in no particular order.
How to Watch Apple’s iPhone 7 Keynote Event on September 7
By Conner Carey
Next Wednesday, September 7, Apple will hold its fall keynote event and officially release the iPhone 7. You can easily watch the event on your device or Apple TV—we'll tell you how below. At the September event, we're certain the iPhone 7 will debut with redesigned antenna bands and no headphone jack. Beyond that, we may see the new Apple Watch 2 or a line-up of Macbook Pros. A lot has been kept secret this time around, so tune in and follow our coverage to stay up to date. See you on September 7; we’ll be covering the latest product launches while we stuff our face with pizza. Here’s how you can watch Apple's iPhone 7 September keynote event too.
Save the date! We can say without a doubt that Apple will hold its fall keynote event next Wednesday, September 7. At its event, Apple will release the iPhone 7 and possibly the Apple Watch 2. After sending out the official invitations this morning, Apple finally confirmed the day for its September event by simply saying, “See you on the 7th.”
It won’t be long now until Apple’s September keynote event but a lot is still tightly under wraps. We know the iPhone 7 will make its debut. We also now know the event will take place Wednesday, September 7, but most of the other details remain up-in-the-air. Will the iPhone 7 have new features we haven't heard about? What other products will Apple release at its September Keynote event this year? Let’s take a look at the possibilities, starting with the obvious (iPhone 7) and descending into the strong maybes. Here’s everything we’re expecting to see at Apple’s September keynote event 2016.
Updated Pokémon Go App Now Warns Drivers not to Play
By Todd Bernhard
I've tried to not go overboard in writing about the Pokémon Go sensation, but I did point out the dangers in cycling, or even worse, driving, while playing the game. Niantic, the makers of the popular app, have just released an update that addresses this issue, to some extent. The app can detect your speed and if it senses you are driving, it will display a warning message. It doesn't deactivate the game, but it will ask you if you are a passenger.
What goes up must come down, and it's happening to Nintendo stock. The hoopla over Pokémon Go has subsided a bit and now investors are paying attention to the fact (and admission by Nintendo) that Nintendo doesn't get all the profits from the app, and may only end up with 10 to 13 percent of those profits, meaning Apple and Google are pocketing more than the video game firm will.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Pokémon Go
By Todd Bernhard
Pokémon Go has invaded the App Store and our society's consciousness, and as with any such trend, there are good, bad, and ugly elements. We've seen the good news—people getting out, socializing, getting exercise. It's even breathed new life into small businesses who have seen increased traffic due to players searching for characters to catch.
Podcast Episode 36: iOS 10 Beta, Pokémon Go, and Amazon Prime Day Deals
By Sarah Kingsbury
In the 36th episode, listen along as members of the iPhone Life team share their experiences with the iOS 10 public beta and give advice on whether or not to install the test software on your own device. They'll also explore the hype surrounding Nintendo's new augmented reality game Pokémon Go and why this year's Amazon Prime Day beats last year's by a mile.
3 Reasons Pokémon Go May Save Us All
By Conner Carey
Even people living under rocks have heard of Pokémon Go by now. In fact, they’re probably under that rock looking for a Geodude Pokémon. I downloaded Pokémon Go a couple of days ago, and despite being red as a lobster after a weekend camping trip, I spent three hours outside yesterday trying to catch them all. Outside! Pokémon Go, in short, uses augmented reality to bring the beloved Pokémon of many childhoods into the real world. As you move around in the world, your avatar moves. If you want to catch them all, you have to get off your butt and explore. Furthermore, the game has turned many a strangers into friends sharing a common bond. Here’s three reasons Pokémon Go may save us all.
It appears that Apple is in talks with Tidal to acquire the music streaming service owned by rap mogul Jay Z, reported The Wall Street Journal. The initial report came as a surprise to many, but now bloggers are making the case for why it could be the best of both worlds. Tidal and Apple Music both have exclusivity with certain artists, but Tidal has maintained higher pay-per-stream rates for Tidal artists.
Furthermore, Tidal now has 4 million paying subscribers while Apple Music has 15 million. If either plan to catch up or surpass Spotify’s 30 million paying subscribers, combining efforts could be a way to help bridge that gap.
iOS 10: Photos App will Boast New “Memories” Tab and Facial Recognition Technology
By Rheanne Taylor
This year at Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference, Craig Federighi announced a couple of new changes to the Photos app that many of us were excited to see—myself included! The following are two of the main changes you can look forward to seeing in the near future.
Op-ed: Apple Music’s Redesign Still Needs Work
By Conner Carey
Monday, Apple held its WWDC keynote event on the first day of the convention. We saw previews of all the latest software coming out this Fall, including the larger-than-expected iOS 10 update. And within that update is the revamped, redesigned Apple Music. But is Apple doing enough to keep its now 15 million paid subscribers? Or should we abandon the comfort of the Apple ecosystem for the features of Spotify? We can’t know for sure until iOS 10 is installed on our iPhones, but let’s look at what Apple did share about the new and improved Apple Music. Does it measure up?
Apple held its annual WWDC keynote event today! We watched, we blogged, we oohed and aahed, and we cringed at bad dad joke after bad dad joke. During the two-hour event, Apple talked about everything from the newly branded macOS to the much anticipated iOS 10. One major thing we didn’t see were new MacBook Pros. Yet another thing to look forward to this Fall, I suppose. Let’s jump in and take a look at what’s coming with WatchOS 3, the updated tvOS, macOS Sierra, and iOS 10.
Finally—iOS 10 Lets You Delete Apple's Native Apps Off Your Device
By Rheanne Taylor
When it comes to peoples’ iPhone and iPads, there’s one complaint that I hear more than all others: why must I keep these annoying built-in apps that I never use on my iPhone? I, for one, have never used either Apple’s Stocks app or its Compass app, and yet there they are, sitting relentlessly on my device taking up space—space that I would prefer to reserve for my photos and third-party apps that I actually enjoy.
72 New Emoji Are Coming to Your iPhone—And Bacon is One of Them!
By Rheanne Taylor
Brace yourself—the Unicode Consortium (the non-profit organization governing emoji) has given final approval of 72 new emoji characters, which are set to be released in Unicode 9.0. That means we may very well get to see these characters in an iteration of iOS 10! Are you excited? Because I’m excited.