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Lilbits: Apple leaks, NVIDIA’s ARM CPUs, and PC shipments are (way) up

Every quarter a handful of analysts release reports letting us know if shipments of devices like PCs, smartphones, tablets, and smart home devices are rising, falling, or flat. Sometimes this data gives us a good idea of current and future trends. This year, I’m not really so sure what it tells us. With that in […]

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Lilbits Leaks: Walmart’s Android TV stick, Qualcomm’s next-mid-range laptop CPU, Samsung’s Galaxy A phones

Walmart’s working on a media streamer powered by Google’s Android TV software. The company hasn’t actually announced the new product yet, but an FCC listing spilled the beans. Meanwhile Evan Blass has spilled the beans on Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy A72 smartphone, Windows Future has spilled a few beans about Qualcomm’s next-gen Snapdragon processor for mid-range […]

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Apple HomePod can be jailbroken with checkra1n

It’s been a little over a year since security researchers discovered a vulnerability in iOS devices that makes it possible to jailbreak most iPhones and iPads from the iPhone 5s through the iPhone X. Now it looks like Apple’s HomePod smart speaker is vulnerable as well. A pair of tweets from @_L1ngL1ng_ and @DanyL931 show […]

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Apple’s $350 HomePod may damage wood furniture, but at least it sounds good

The Apple HomePod is a premium wireless speaker with support for Siri, Apple Music, and… not much else at the moment. The HomePod started shipping last week, and most early reviewers agree that it’s one of the best sounding wireless speakers on the market, but that it’s not as “smart” as an Amazon Echo or […]

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Apple HomePod coming Feb 9th, up for pre-order Jan 26th for $349

Apple’s first smart speaker is finally set to hit the streets. First announced in June, the Apple HomePod was originally slated to ship in December. That date was pushed back, but now Apple says the HomePod will be available starting February 9th. It goes up for pre-order on Friday, January 26th in the US, UK, […]

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iPhone 8 face unlock, unusual design revealed by HomePod firmware

Apple’s first smart speaker is coming later this year, but the company has released an early build of the HomePod’s firmware, possibly by accident. And developers have started digging into it… and finding surprising things, such a details about the upcoming (and unannounced) iPhone 8. For example, it looks like Apple’s newest iPhone will features […]

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Is Apple’s $349 HomePod overpriced? Maybe… maybe not

There was a very infomercial-like “how much would you expect to pay?” moment during yesterday’s unveiling of the Apple HomePod speaker. High-end WiFi speakers from companies like Sonos typically cost $300 to $500, while smart speakers like an Amazon Echo or Google Home tend to cost between $100 and $200. So you might expect to […]

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HomePod is Apple’s answer to the Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Sonos speakers

Apple is launching its first Siri-powered home speaker. It’s called HomePod, and on the one hand it seems like a rather late entry into the space first created by the launch of the Amazon Echo in 2014. But Apple thinks HomePod will stand out in a few ways. The company says the HomePod offers the kind […]