The Basic Apple Guy (via 9To5Mac) created a series of colorful iPhone wallpapers based on the X-ray images from iFixit. These iPhone 13 Pro | Pro Max schematics are a fun way to let you know the details hiding underneath your display. “Ten different designs have been created: Black, Xray, Sunset, Slate, Neon Blue, M1, Card, Blueprint, Rainbow Bloom, & Rainbow . And as a special treat, I’ve also added three additional designs: 3021, R08135, & DF, which celebrate figures in the community I admire. I plan on creating other colour patterns to release over the next few months, with these 11 being the first of many to come.”
Apple TV+: 'Swan Song' Behind-The-Scenes Featurette
A behind-the-scenes featurette for the movie Swang Song has been released. In it, stars Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, and Glenn Close, as well as director Benjamin Cleary discuss the key questions raised in the feature. It is available on Apple TV+ and in theaters now.
'Dashlane' Password Manager Updates With New Menu, Quick Actions
Dashlane has updated its iOS app to help users save time. The way the Dashlane iOS app was structured, items in your vault, like passwords, personal and payment info, Secure Notes, and IDs, all required two taps to get to. Now, those key items are just a tap away thanks to the new horizontal menu sitting at the top of the main screen. Dashlane has added something they call “quick actions” to items. By tapping the three dots on the right hand side of each item listed in the user’s vault, it will bring up a mini-menu that will allow users to copy different parts of their credentials or personal data, share or delete the item, or open the corresponding website. Dashlane has moved the notifications to the bottom menu of the app, right next to the home button. Now, users can’t miss security alerts, sharing invites, or product updates.
'Pixelmator Photo' Launches for iPhone With 50% Off Introductory Deal
Previously only available for iPad, Pixelmator has released the Pixelmator Photo app on iPhone. It features over 30 desktop-class color adjustments, support for over 600 RAW image formats, including Apple ProRAW, deep integration with the Photos app and iCloud Photos, tools powered by groundbreaking machine learning technologies, and much more. It even includes the company’s ML Super Resolution tool, a way to scale up your images using AI. So far I haven’t seen any actions for Pixelmator Photo within Shortcuts. The price says that the deal is US$3.99, but it downloaded for free on my iPhone because I already had Pixelmator.
New VPN Called 'Exidio dVPN' Runs on Sentinel's Node Network
Exidio is a new decentralized VPN application that uses the Sentinel blockchain, which itself is part of the Cosmos ecosystem. “Exidio dVPN is rewriting the true definition of what it means to be a VPN. This is made possible by the Sentinel blockchain where all the global, distributed nodes are sharing their available and unused bandwidth. So as long as the Sentinel blockchain stays active, the network of nodes that offer bandwidth to the network remain active.” Exidio claims that traffic is end-to-end encrypted with proven no data logging.
Apple Music Christmas in Spatial Audio Playlist
Apple Music has a Christmas playlist out, and it’s available in Spatial Audio too. Users can enjoy a range of festive favorites now! Tracks included can vary between countries.
Update to 'Phone Buddy' Adds Play Sound on Apple Watch Feature
Phone Buddy is an app that monitors the Bluetooth connection between your iPhone and Apple Watch and alerts you when needed. Alerts can be configured to display when your iPhone connection is lost, when you leave your Apple Watch behind, or when devices move apart with Distance Going Away Alerts. With Phone Buddy, if you step away from your iPhone, you get a notification on your Apple Watch. With Phone Buddy 7.2 you can now trigger a sound to play on your Apple Watch from your iPhone with the Play Sound on Apple Watch feature. This update also includes a new error detection heuristic that aims to reduce errors and failures. As always, core stability updates are also included with this update.
Apple Arcade: Mini Motorways Free Challenge City Update Arrives
Mini Motorways, the minimalist strategy simulation about designing growing cities’ road maps from developer Dinosaur Polo Club, cuts the ribbon on the Challenge City Update, expanding each metropolis with new maps, missions, leaderboards, accessibility options, and more, available now for free download on Steam via Windows PC and macOS as well as Apple Arcade. The Nintendo Switch version planned for next year will include this new content at launch.
'Total War: ROME REMASTERED' Releases Patch 2.0.4 for Gamers
Feral Interactive announced that patch 2.0.4 for Total War: ROME REMASTERED is now available on Steam for Windows, macOS and Linux. Patch 2.0.4 brings greatly expanded modding abilities to ROME REMASTERED, including the removal of limits to the number of possible cultures, building types and factions. In addition to these modding changes there are a number of interface improvements, tweaks to AI, sound and more. The full patch notes are available at the link below.
NordPass Password Manager Adds Biometric Authentication for Mac
NordPass is introducing biometric authentication to Windows and macOS applications. This new feature, which previously was available on mobile devices only, will add flexibility and convenience to the login process. Instead of typing in their master password, users will be able to use their fingerprint or face ID to sign in. According to a report published by NordPass, the most common password is 123456. and relying more on biometrics would help eliminate such weak passwords. But many cybersecurity professionals note that biometric authentication on its own is not enough. The best way to ensure maximum security for your accounts is to use it along with multi-factor authentication (MFA).