Tech Talk

Apple today announced a multibillion-dollar deal with technology company Broadcom to make several components for its devices in the United States. The multi-year agreement with Broadcom will see Apple use 5G radio frequency parts, including FBAR filters, and wireless connectivity components that are designed and manufactured in the U.S. Apple CEO Tim Cook said: We're thrilled to make commitments that harness the ingenuity, creativity, and innovative spirit of American manufacturing. All of Apple's products depend on technology engineered and built here in the United States, and we'll continue to deepen our investments in the U.S. economy because we have an unshakable belief in America's future. Apple noted that it already supports over 1,100 jobs in Broadcom's Fort Collins FBAR filter manufacturing facility, and the partnership will see continued investment in automation projects and training technicians and engineers. The investments are part of the comm

Samsung Display has unveiled a new generation of OLED panel that it says can recognize fingerprints anywhere on the screen and even check the user's heart rate, blood pressure, and stress levels using multiple simultaneous finger readings. Samsung's 'Sensor OLED Display' at SID Display Week 2023 Usually, fingerprint sensors in smartphones are attached under the display panel as a separate module and are only sensitive to fingerprint data within a limited portion of the screen. By contrast, Samsung's new "Sensor OLED Display" extends this sensitivity to the entire screen by embedding a light-sensing organic photodiode (OPD) into the panel itself. The technology currently being shown off at SID Display Week 2023 opens up some exciting possibilities for future smartphones, such as multi-finger authentication (putting four fingers on the display, for example), which could offer several thousand million times stronger security than a single finger. An

Apple today released the first beta of macOS Ventura 13.5 to its public beta testing group, allowing the general public to try out the software ahead of its official launch. The ‌macOS Ventura‌ 13.5 public beta comes a few days after Apple provided the software to developers . Public beta testers can download the macOS 13.5 Ventura update from the Software Update section of the System Preferences app after installing the proper profile from Apple's beta software website . There is no word as of yet on what's included in ‌macOS Ventura‌ 13.5, and no notable new features were found in the developer beta. We're expecting to see Apple unveil macOS 14 in just two weeks at WWDC, and macOS 13.5 should be one of the last updates to Ventura that will tide users over until the public release of macOS 14 later this year. Related Roundup: macOS Ventura Related Forum: macOS Ventura This article, " Apple Releases First Public Beta of macOS Ventura 13.5 " first appear

Mophie today launched two new MagSafe-compatible car vent mounts that are available on Mophie's website, on Apple.com, and in Apple stores around the world. One of the mounts supports wireless charging while the other is strictly for mounting your iPhone and does not directly charge. Starting with the non-charging accessory, the Magnetic Vent Mount is $39.95 and holds the ‌iPhone‌ securely while preserving access to the Lightning port, so you can still charge your ‌iPhone‌ via cable. This device rotates and tilts allowing for ideal viewing angles, and it includes an adjustable offset arm so you can position the ‌iPhone‌ away from the vent. Next is the Wireless Charging Vent Mount with MagSafe for $99.95 , and it's the same design as the previous vent mount with the addition of 15W of wireless charging via MagSafe . It comes with a 20W USB-C car charger and 1.5M USB-C cable. You'll find all the same features as the non-charging mount, including an adjustable arm and s

Since updating to watchOS 9.5, some Apple Watch owners have been noticing an unusual green tint to their watch display when accessing certain UI elements, based on complaints shared on Reddit and the MacRumors Forums . Image of green tint appearing on the left, from Redditor whosyourdaddy Almost all of the models affected are Apple Watch Series 8 and older devices, with earlier models seemingly faring worse. Users afflicted with the issue say that the green tint is visible on the passcode input screen, when accessing the Control Center, and when pulling down notifications. Based on the majority of reports, fewer Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Ultra models are affected by the issue. Some have suggested that Apple may have intentionally added the tint, but this seems unlikely given that most users agree that it is uncharacteristically ugly and looks out of place. One user described it as looking like a "washed out LCD" screen rather than the pure OLED blacks they a

Facebook owner Meta has been hit with a record $1.3 billion (€1.2 billion) fine by European Union regulators for mishandling user information, and has been ordered to suspend the transfer of data from users in the EU to the United States. The fine was issued by Ireland's Data Protection Commission , which regulates Facebook across the EU, after it ruled that the social network's data transfers to the U.S. "did not address the risks to the fundamental rights and freedoms" of EU users and violated General Data Protection Regulation. The fine constitutes the largest ever imposed under the EU's GDPR privacy law, the previous one being a €746 million penalty issued to Amazon in 2021 for similar privacy violations. In addition to the fine, Meta was given five months to suspend any future transfer of personal data to the U.S., and six months to end "the unlawful processing, including storage, in the U.S." of transferred personal data. Instagram and Whats

Just a few weeks ahead of WWDC, it appears that Apple continues to secretly apply for trademarks related to its rumored AR/VR headset. Apple headset concept by designer Marcus Kane Delaware-based shell company "Deep Dive LLC" submitted a trademark application for "xrProOS" stylized in Apple's SF Pro font on May 18 in Argentina, Turkey, and the Phillippines, according to online records. The same company applied for an "xrOS" trademark in SF Pro in New Zealand earlier this month, and it is very likely that Apple is behind both filings as the company moves early to protect its headset-related intellectual property. Deep Dive LLC also applied for xrProOS in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK on May 18, but without SF Pro styling. The company first applied for the trademark in Jamaica on April 27, according to the records. Jamaica is often where Apple first applies for trademarks related to future products, as the country lacks a searchable online