'Loogun' uses a water jet to make toilet cleaning less crappy

Not all of us can afford $6,000 for a self-cleaning toilet, so scrubbing one usually revolves around a yucky toilet brush. However, a product coming to Kickstarter may make the chore marginally more pleasant. Called Loogun, it's like a big dental Wat... read more

The 'father of SMS,' Matti Makkonen, dies at 63

It's a sad day in the cellphone world. Matti Makkonen, widely considered the "father of SMS," has died from illness at the age of 63. The Finnish creator pitched the concept of text messaging over cellular networks in 1984 and helped get the ball rol... read more

Apple Releases OS X 10.10.4 With 'Discoveryd' Process Removal

Apple today released OS X Yosemite 10.10.4, an under-the-hood update that introduces several bug fixes and performance improvements. Most notably, 10.10.4 includes the removal of the problematic Discoveryd process, which has caused multiple networking issues for some users in OS X Yosemite. 

The OS X 10.10.4 update can be downloaded through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.

Unlike 10.10.3, which brought Yosemite's first outward-facing changes including the Photos for OS X app and new emoji features, OS X 10.10.4 is a behind-the-scenes update that focuses primarily on fixing bugs and introducing better performance through stability improvements.

The biggest change in OS X 10.10.4 is the elimination of the discoveryd process that's been accused of being responsible for some significant networking and WiFi bugs within Yosemite. Discoveryd is a networking process that was introduced in Yosemite to replace mDNSresponder, but it caused problems like slow wake from sleep, failures to resolve DNS names, duplicate machine names, WiFi disconnects, excessive CPU usage, battery drain, and more. In 10.10.4, discoveryd has been replaced with the older mDNSresponder process.

OS X 10.10.4 was in testing for approximately two months before seeing a public release, having been seeded to developers in mid-April. It's likely we'll see at least one more update to OS X Yosemite in the months preceding the public launch of OS X 10.11 El Capitan, Apple's next-generation Mac operating system that's also in the works.

Apple Loses Appeal in E-Books Price Fixing Lawsuit, Ordered to Pay $450 Million Fine

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit today upheld a 2013 decision that found Apple guilty of conspiring with publishers to raise the prices of e-books, reports The Wall Street Journal. Apple is now expected to pay a $450 million fine originally set in July 2014 to settle the case, with a majority of that settlement earmarked for consumers as part of a class action lawsuit. 

Apple filed the appeal in the antitrust case in December 2014, and the outcome was originally expected to favor the iPhone maker, although federal judge Debra Ann Livingston ultimately determined that the company colluded with publishers to fix the prices of e-books. The decision was finalized by a 2-1 ruling in the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan on Tuesday.

"We conclude that the district court correctly decided that Apple orchestrated a conspiracy among the publishers to raise e-book prices,” wrote Second Circuit Judge Debra Ann Livingston. The conspiracy “unreasonably restrained trade” in violation of the Sherman Act, the federal antitrust law, the judge wrote.

The Wall Street Journal has shared the full-length court document for the decision.

Apple Releases Apple Music And iOS 8.4

Apple has finally entered the streaming music game, with the launch today of Apple Music. The new service is available as a built-in part of its iOS 8.4 Music app for iPhone and iPad devices, and offers a huge catalog of on-demand tracks for streaming playback for just $9.99 per month, or $14.99 for a family plan that allows sharing with up to six users. The service is free for three months… Read More

Apple Revives Ping As “Connect”, Letting Artists Share A Feed Of Music, Videos, And Social Media

Apple wants to be the way you socially connect to musicians, not Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or Spotify. As a tab in its new Apple Music on-demand streaming service, Apple is launching Connect, a feed showing music, videos, photos, and notes posted to a social media feed. Apple hopes that if it can own that relationship, fans won’t risk severing it by quitting Apple’s streaming… Read More