Innehållsförteckning för #226 från AppleMagazine

Vevo, the music video service owned by major labels Sony and Universal, is working on launching an ad-free subscription service with original content later this year. Erik Huggers, who took over the CEO job in April, announced the plan at the Code/Media conference on Wednesday. Vevo videos, which are racking up 17 billion views a month worldwide, would continue to be available for free on YouTube and other platforms, Huggers said. He didn’t discuss how much the subscription plan would cost or how it would differ from YouTube Red, a $10-a-month subscription service that also enables ad-free viewing, access to a music-focused app and original videos. Vevo is also aiming to popularize its stand-alone app. It opened an office in San Francisco this month with plans to add around 50…

Some family members of victims and survivors of the San Bernardino attack will file court papers in support of a judge’s order that Apple Inc. help the FBI hack into a locked iPhone as part of its investigation, a lawyer and others say. A Los Angeles attorney, Stephen Larson, said he represents at least several families of victims and other employees affected by the attack. He said the U.S. Attorney in the case, Eileen Decker, sought his help. Larson said he will file a brief supporting the Justice Department before March 3. The victims “have questions that go simply beyond the criminal investigation ... in terms of why this happened, how this happened, why they were targeted, is there anything about them on the iPhone - things that are more…

While tens of thousands flock to the Mobile World Congress to check out the latest smartphones, the show also offers glimpses of some of the coolest off-beat - and downright strange - innovations. Many of these newfangled prototypes found a niche at the trade show’s special corner for startups, which gathered here to find business deals for their inventions. Here is a look at the quirkiest of the gadgets and apps on display this week in Barcelona. MAGIC DRAWINGS Remember pop-up books? Chromville takes the idea to another dimension with its augmented reality educational app. Here is how it works: Kids download and print pages with designs that they color in as they wish. Next, they hold a tablet over the page and, via the Chromville app, the drawing turns…

The R-rated comic book adaption “Deadpool” remained on top at the box office, earning $56.5 million in its second weekend and bringing its two-week total to $236.9 million. The 20th Century Fox release, starring Ryan Reynolds, is on course to become one of the most lucrative R-rated films of all time. It easily trumped three smaller new wide releases. The faith-based tale “Risen” opened with $11.8 million. The 1600s Puritan horror thriller “The Witch” opened with $8.8 million, the best weekend yet for the indie distributor A24. And Focus Features’ Jesse Owens biopic “Race” debuted with a disappointing $7.4 million. The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of…

Space travel never looked so good. NASA announced it received a record number of applicants - some 18,300 - for its next astronaut class. That’s more than double the previous record of 8,000 for the first space shuttle astronaut class in 1978. This time, NASA hit social media hard to promote the openings. The odds of getting picked are small; only eight to 14 Americans will be chosen. NASA expects it will take 1½ years to whittle down the list. Candidates need to be U.S. citizens with a bachelor’s degree in science, math or engineering. “It’s not at all surprising to me that so many Americans from diverse backgrounds want to personally contribute to blazing the trail on our journey to Mars,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, a former space shuttle…

A new Chinese regulation announced this week will require foreign companies and foreign-Chinese joint ventures to acquire approval before publishing content online, in the government’s latest move to tighten control of the digital realm. In an apparent countervailing trend born of the need to shore up slowing growth and flagging foreign investment, the government on Friday also announced plans to make it easier for foreigners to live and work in the country under new rules for obtaining permanent residency. Under the new regulations going into effect March 10, firms with at least part-foreign ownership will be banned from publishing on the mainland text, pictures, maps, games, animation and sound “of informational or thoughtful nature” without approval from the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television. Chinese law has…

Apple Inc. on Thursday (18) launched its smartphone-based payment system in China, where the electronic payments market is already dominated by an arm of e-commerce giant Alibaba. Apple said Apple Pay could be used with cards from 19 banks and “numerous merchants.”The merchants include supermarket Carrefour, fast food outlets McDonald’s and KFC, and convenience store 7-Eleven, according to a news release Wednesday from China UnionPay, the country’s state-owned credit card processor with which Apple is working. Apple’s electronic payment system started in the United States in October 2014 and has since spread to Britain, Canada and Australia. Hong Kong, Singapore and Spain are coming this year. Apple Pay is a late arrival in a Chinese electronic payments market that offers smartphone users not just online shopping but also the option…

Move over, Apple and Samsung. The next big smartphone might be from little-known Chinese brands such as TCL and OPPO. Along with other Chinese phone makers such as Huawei and Xiaomi, Chinese brands have surpassed Samsung in China and are encroaching on Apple’s turf. In the coming years, analysts forecast that these cheap Android phones with not-so-cheap features will likely attract more budget-conscious customers in Europe and even in Samsung’s and Apple’s home markets, South Korea and the United States. Chinese phone makers made their global ambitions known at this week’s Mobile World Congress wireless show in Barcelona, Spain. Huawei and TCL vied to steal the spotlight from Samsung and LG, both of which announced new high-end phones at the show. Xiaomi, which typically launches phones in China, will preview…

WHY PRIVACY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE OF OUR TIME Many of us may now be used to the new age of intense privacy debates in the wake of the Edward Snowden fiasco, but it seems that this intensity has just stepped up yet another notch with the tussle that has broken out in recent days between Apple and the FBI. Whichever side of the debate you are on - if you take a definite stance at all - the latest debate surrounding our attitudes to encrypted technology in the wake of the San Bernardino shooting has implications for us all. It is a debate that has its roots in the most terrible tragedy, of the deaths of 14 people and serious injuries to a further 22 in a terrorist…

As authorities look for the reasons why a Michigan man allegedly embarked on a mass shooting spree over the weekend, the ride-hailing service Uber is addressing his record as a driver with the company. Critics say the episode could bring more attention to concerns about the fast-growing service, which has been dogged by controversy on the road to becoming one of the most valuable privately funded companies in the world. Jason Dalton, the man arrested in connection with the Kalamazoo rampage that left six people dead, is a former insurance adjuster who had been working as a driver for Uber’s ride-hailing service. Authorities were investigating unconfirmed reports he may have picked up passengers in the hours before and after the rampage on Saturday. San Francisco-based Uber has been one of…

To revive interest in smartphones, Samsung and LG are improving their cameras and embracing the nascent world of virtual reality. And Samsung is being backed by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, who said Sunday the companies are teaming up to push VR in mobile phones and social networking. “Together this is by far the best mobile VR experience you can offer,” Zuckerberg said at Samsung’s unveiling of their new flagship phones in Barcelona. Samsung’s new Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge promise better photos under low-light conditions, in part with sensors that capture more light. The main camera on LG’s upcoming G5 smartphone will have two lenses - one for standard shots and another with a wider angle so you can capture more of what’s in front of you without having to step…

Pan A prequel to one of the world’s most-loved fairy tales sees how the boy that never grew up met his soon-to-be-nemesis Captain Hook. The story may surprise you... FIVE FACTS: 1. Levi Miller won a drama award when he was 5 years old for playing Peter Pan. He loves the film Peter Pan (2003). 2. The soundtrack to Pan is quite unusual for a movie of its kind, and features songs from artists such as The Ramones and Nirvana. 3. The movie sparked allegations of racism after white actress Rooney Mara was cast as Native American character Tiger Lily. 4. The movie has been nominated for several awards, including an award for ‘Worst Supporting Actress. 5. Director Joe Wright has also worked on Hanna, Anna Karenina, and Atonement. Dark…

Yahoo’s board has hired three investment banking firms to evaluate potential bids for its Internet operations in the clearest sign yet that CEO Marissa Mayer may not have much more time to turn around the struggling company. The move announced Friday comes 2 1/2 weeks after Yahoo disclosed it would consider “strategic alternatives” while Mayer cuts costs through mass layoffs, office closures and a purge of unprofitable products. Mayer believes the overhaul will boost profits and sharpen Yahoo’s focus on mobile apps and other services most likely to revive the company’s revenue growth after years of decline. Some Yahoo shareholders frustrated with a steep drop in the company’s stock price have been pushing for a sale of the Internet operations instead. The board has now responded to that pressure by…

Tired of hearing that more than a third of U.S. adults don’t get enough sleep? Here’s something new: a government report about which states get the most sack time. It says South Dakota has the largest proportion of residents who get at least seven hours of sleep each night. Hawaii - often thought of as a peaceful vacation spot - has the lowest proportion. Here’s the lowdown: THE PROBLEM For adults, the recommended amount of sleep is seven to nine hours each night. Past studies have found that more than one-third of U.S. adults get less. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday released a new round of national survey data that found the same thing. Some of those people - nearly 10 percent of Americans, by some…

Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook acknowledged to employees this week that “it does not feel right” to refuse to help the FBI hack a locked iPhone used by a gunman in the San Bernardino mass shootings. But he said that to do so would threaten data security for millions and “everyone’s civil liberties.” “We have no tolerance or sympathy for terrorists,” Cook wrote in an early morning email addressed to the Apple “Team.”‘’When they commit unspeakable acts like the tragic attacks in San Bernardino, we work to help the authorities pursue justice for the victims.” But he reiterated the company’s position that to hack the San Bernardino gunman’s phone would ultimately risk “security of hundreds of millions of law-abiding people.” Cook’s email came just hours after FBI director James Comey…

From a preschool toy designed to teach pre-coding skills to a hands-on molecule-building set for older kids that works with an app, technology abounded at this year’s Toy Fair. The annual showcase of upcoming toys held recently in New York included a slew of tech-related products from the titans of the toy industry and tiny startups, all looking to attract increasingly tech-savvy kids. Here are the highlights. Some of the toys are educational, while others are just kind of cool. All of them are set to go on sale this fall unless otherwise specified. CODE-A-PILLAR (FISHER-PRICE, $50) Even preschoolers can learn the basics of coding. That’s the idea behind this toy, which is aimed at kids ages 3 to 6. The Code-a-Pillar is made up of different colored sections connected…

Not To Disappear Daughter The second album from British/Swiss/French indie rock band Daughter is just as charming as their first, which spawned popular single ‘Youth. Not To Disappear is a must-buy for any of their fans. FIVE FACTS: 1. Daughter’s songs have been used in popular culture a number of times, including episodes of Greys Anatomy and The Vampire Diaries, and for an advertisement for the Tour de France. 2. Daughter is signed to the 4AD record label, which is also home/has been home to artists such as Bon Iver, Pixies, and The National. 3. The band is signed to Glassnote in America, who also have artists such as Mumford and Sons, Phoenix, and The Temper Trap on their roster. 4. The band appeared on The David Letterman Show prior…

Facebook has redesigned its popular Messenger app so several people can use it on the same smartphone or tablet without relinquishing their privacy. The update announced Friday initially will only be available on devices running on Android, the world’s most popular mobile operating system. Facebook didn’t set a timetable for making similar changes to its Messenger app for Apple Inc.’s iPhone and iPad. The new feature will accommodate multiple accounts without allowing people sharing the more versatile app to get into each other’s queue of messages. Facebook added the ability to switch accounts within the Messenger app after getting requests from people who share their smartphones and tablets with family and friends. More than 800 million people currently use Messenger.…

A U.N. panel on Monday approved a temporary ban on cargo shipments of rechargeable lithium batteries on passenger planes because they can create intense fires capable of destroying an aircraft. The decision by the Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organization’s top-level governing council isn’t binding, but most countries follow the agency’s standards. The ban is effective on April 1. “This interim prohibition will continue to be in force as separate work continues through ICAO on a new lithium battery packaging performance standard, currently expected by 2018,” said Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, the ICAO council’s president. Namrata Kolachalam, a U.S. Transportation Department spokeswoman, called the ban “a necessary action to protect passengers, crews, and aircraft from the current risk to aviation safety.” Lithium-ion batteries are used in a vast array of products from…

Ford CEO Mark Fields says the 112-year-old company is tripling its investment in new technologies that will ultimately lead to self-driving vehicles - but will keep making cars for drivers who want to keep their hands on the wheel. Fields said it was no coincidence that Ford chose the Mobile World Congress, a massive technology trade show in Barcelona, to unveil its new Kuga SUV, which features its latest connectivity and driver-assisted technology. “We are really emphasizing our transition from an auto company to an auto and mobility company,” Fields told The Associated Press in an interview Monday at Ford’s stand, which stood out in a sea of smartphone and gadget makers. “This is a really good audience to reach some new folks.” The Kuga includes the latest version of…