Following the mockups of the 4-inch iPhone 5 this morning, one of our awesome readers, Spencer Caldwell, made this beautiful mockup (above). Spencer took this morning’s idea and added more pixels vertically, while keeping the pixels the same horizontally as the iPhone 4S (640-by-1152 pixels). As for the home button on the device, Spencer took the Photo Stream leak from last summer (below) and implemented it on the device. On a larger iPhone like this, it definitely looks better over the circular version....

The piece was either a massive scoop about something of vital importance to everyone, or an embarrassing misunderstanding since debunked by the companies involved. Deciding which applies isn’t entirely straightforward, but there are five reasons I come down on the side of believing Apple … It’s difficult to assess the veracity of a claim when we don’t know the exact nature of it. Bloomberg didn’t provide specific details as to precisely what the alleged Chinese spy chip actually did....

The last Chrome update of 2020 is starting to roll out and Google is touting a handful of performance improvements. Chrome 87 features tab throttling and better resource management, as well as a number of user-facing additions. Google says version 87 of its browser “represents the largest gain in Chrome performance in years.” This includes a 5x reduction in CPU usage by prioritizing active tabs versus what’s in the background. Per Google’s internal benchmarks, this results in a 1....

While Chrome for iOS hasn’t seen a stable release since November amid an ongoing pause in updates, Google continues work on the beta channel and is currently testing a way to lock Incognito tabs with Face or Touch ID. Chrome will let you “Lock Incognito tabs” so that they will be blurred in the tab switcher “until you confirm it’s you” using Touch or Face ID. Google calls it a way to “add more security” as you multitask across apps....

Charlize Theron has revealed that she had to pass on playing a role in the hit DC Extended Universe movie, Wonder Woman. The film, which stars Gal Gadot as the titular character and was directed by Patty Jenkins, has performed exceptionally well both critically and at the global box office. It’s now the highest grossing live-action film directed by a woman and has pushed the DCEU’s total worldwide box office haul past the $3 billion mark....

Chinese authorities have closed down an elaborate fake Apple service center in Beijing. The firm behind it was fined $43,000 as part of a reported crackdown on intellectual property breaches in the Chinese capital … SCMP cites a Mirror report. Investigations are underway into other fake stores. People paying by scanning their phones on a 3D bar code at the firm would also get a message with the Apple logo and the words Apple service centre […]...

Apple’s Find My technology is making a splash at CES 2022 this week, even though Apple itself doesn’t have an official presence at the show. Following Targus’ announcement of a new Find My backpack, Chipolo has now unveiled a new Card Spot accessory that brings integration with Apple’s Find My network to your wallet. Right off the bat, it’s important to note that the Chipolo Card Spot is not a wallet itself....

Apple @ Work is brought to you by Kolide, endpoint security for teams that Slack. Kolide notifies your team via Slack when their devices are insecure and gives them step-by-step instructions on how to solve the problem. Meet your compliance goals using the most powerful, untapped resource in IT: end-users. Try Kolide for free today. I recently discussed Apple’s Endpoint Security API and praised it as a well-designed security implementation that allowed IT to have a stable fleet of devices while end-users have a great experience....

But the link often takes you to a spoofed website where you are expected to enter personal information. Phishing emails have been around forever, and there are no signs of these schemes slowing down. That leads us to the latest ruse. Thieves are sending emails claiming to be from Dick’s Sporting Goods, Delta Airlines or Costco. But beware. If you get one, there’s a chance it’s part of an elaborate scheme....

Not only could sexual predators contact children through their profiles, but they could also search by age and location. If that’s not scary enough for parents, the apps also collected users’ real-time location data. This way, sexual predators could find nearby children, some as young as 12. Thankfully, the apps have been removed from Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store. But take this as a warning that you should control your kids’ online activities....

Just like the DCEU enticed record-breaking audiences to theaters with the promise of an epic superhero fight in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, the MCU (read: Marvel Cinematic Universe) promises Avengers battling each other in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War. Much of the promotion for the upcoming Captain America film has focused on who chooses sides between Captain America and Iron Man, aka Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr....

The companion app to Google’s $35 Chromecast dongle received an update today with a handful of improvements and changes. Bumping the app to version 1.11.4116, the update brings several interface tweaks. First off, the devices view of the app has been redesigned with a card-like interface. The devices screen also now lists what backdrop is currently being displayed along with casting status. The update also adds a new setting to change the speed of the backdrop rotation....

Chase announced today that it is now offering 5% cash back for Apple Pay purchases made with a linked Chase Freedom credit card for the first time. The offer is available for combined purchases up to $1500 at select merchants and will last for the first three months of 2018. The company notes that the 5% cash back in select categories is on top of 5% cash back Chase is offering during the quarter for “gas stations and with internet, cable TV and phone service providers, including the likes of AT&T, Verizon, Spotify, Netflix, Hulu, among many other names you might know....

Despite the recent sexual assault allegations against him, Chris Hardwick will return to the game show The Wall. Hardwick is one of the many names in Hollywood who have been accused of sexual assault but unlike some of the others, he has continued his work. Hardwick’s world was flipped upside down last month when his former girlfriend Chloe Dykstra accused him of sexually assaulting her. Hardwick denied the allegations, but came under heavy fire and lost some high-profile gigs....

We know Apple isn’t too keen about the Chinese knockoff Apple retail stores selling real Apple products, however this knockoff unibody MacBook Air is getting painfully close to the real thing. Well, at least in terms of first impressions of the design, that is. MIC Gadget just posted a lengthy review of this $499 MacBook Air clone running Windows, which might for a second fool some into thinking it’s a genuine Apple product, but quickly shows its shortcomings upon further inspection....

We probably all know this versatile and incredible actor as America’s best Avenger, but, in fact, he’s a lot more than Captain America. Chris Evans is one of our biggest Hollywood crushes, and he slays from romantic comedies to intense dramas to throwing shields with the Avengers. In fact, this man is always looking good while doing it, too. He’s definitely proved his talent and brilliance, but none of us can deny that this heartthrob deserves some recognition for being just that—America’s handsome face....

Chris Hardwick’s presence is wiped from the Nerdist website amid allegations of abuse and sexual assault detailed by Chloe Dykstra. Hardwick has made a name for himself as a geek entertainment personality, hosting a number of TV shows, including The Walking Dead after show Talking Dead and Talking with Chris Hardwick on AMC, and the now-concluded @midnight on Comedy Central. He also has a big presence at Comic-Con International in San Diego each year, where he moderates panels for various pop culture properties....

Hot Toys and Star Wars are getting a blast from the past with a stunning sixth scale collectible figure that features Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi. Made famous by Sir Alec Guinness in the original Star Wars trilogy, McGregor put on his own pair of robes to play a younger Kenobi and chart the fall of Anakin Skywalker. Everyone has their own thoughts on George Lucas’ prequel trilogy, but there is no denying that McGregor was one of the shining stars of Episodes I-III....

The world’s largest LTE network keeps growing. The Chinese government announced today that the country now has 836M 4G users. Average data use has also increased by more than 25% over the same quarter last year, now sitting at 1.28Gb per month. The growth underlines the opportunities for Apple in app sales and services as well as hardware sales, but the company has faced some road-bumps along the way. The company has seen its iBooks and iTunes Movie services temporarily shutdown by the government, was forced to remove the New York Times apps from iTunes and is currently facing pressure to ‘tighten checks’ on live-streaming apps....

Christopher Tolkien, son of legendary author J.R.R. Tolkien, has died at the age of 95. A lifelong protector, editor, and literary executor of his father’s celebrated catalog of works, Christopher Tolkien’s passing marks a sad day for the Tolkien estate and mourners around the world. Christopher Tolkien was born in Leeds, UK to J.R.R. and Edith Mary Tolkien on November 21, 1924, the youngest of three sons. Receiving an elite education from an early age, Tolkien attended both the prestigious Dragon School at Oxford and The Oratory School....