Dennis Sellers

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Brilliant, maker of the Brilliant Home Control, a smart home controller that you swap out a light switch for, has announced integration with Apple’s HomeKit, allowing users to find and control any light connected to the Brilliant Control by voice using Siri or with the Apple Home app on any Apple device.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">OtterBox and PopSockets have announced the Otter + Pop Symmetry Series for the iPhone. OtterBox CEO Jim Parke says it combines the streamlined design of Symmetry Series with the versatility of a PopGrip to make iPhone easier to use than ever before. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The iPhone Xr has taken over the iPhone Xs in usage, according to <a href="https://mixpanel.com/trends/#report/iphone_Xs/from_date:-130,report_unit:day,to_date:0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">data from Mixpanel</a>. As of Tuesday, the iPhone Xs had 2.89% usage share, followed by 3.02% for the iPhone Xr and 3.65% for the iPhone Xs Max.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.scosche.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SCOSCHE Industries</a> has announced the BaseLynx system for keeping multiple and diverse devices charged and organized. It combines wireless charging expertise with a multi-device organizer. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In an interview with Jim Cramer at <a href="https://www.cnbc.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>CNBC</em>,</a> Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the company is putting a “ton” of investment in Siri, which is being used on more than 500 million devices worldwide.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">According to the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/a10b54e0-1352-11e9-a581-4ff78404524e" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Financial Times</em> </a>(a subscription is required to read the article), Apple has hired Sandy Parakilas, a critic of privacy practices at Facebook, to serve as a product manager on its privacy team. His job will be to work with teams throughout Apple to ensure new products guard privacy and minimize data collection.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">MacGamer HQ, a Mac gaming site, has launched <a href="https://www.macgamerhq.com/level-up-gamer/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mac_gamer_hq_wont_survive_unless_we_make_a_big_change_it_starts_today&utm_term=2019-01-07" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Level Up Gamer 2.0</a>, which offers exclusive access to extra content. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The new Whirlpool Smart All-in-One Washer and Dryer, a CES 2019 Innovation Award Honoree, completes a load of laundry in the same machine, allowing for one load to be completely washed and dried without moving items from the washer to the dryer. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Today, Jan. 9, January 2019 is the 12-year anniversary of the day when Steve Jobs announced the original iPhone at the 2007 Macworld convention (2007). Considering the retail price of the iPhone continues to rise, in 2018 the iPhone accounted for an average of 61.8% of Apple’s revenue in the fourth quarter of 2018.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Pelican Products’s $39.95<a href="https://www.rei.com/product/150749/pelican-go-g40-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Pelican GO 40 Case</a> is the first of the company’s “Personal Utility Cases (PUC),” which is described as “a new category of everyday carry cases for the adventure-ready consumer.”</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,176,637) for “synchronized, interactive, augmented reality displays for multifunction devices” that hints at increased augmented reality (AR) features on iPhones and iPads. Such features debuted with iOS 12, so expect the tech giant to take ‘em to the next level.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Just Mobile has released the <a href="https://just-mobile.com/collections/hero-images/products/alubase™-wireless?variant=14240524435498" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AluBase Wireless</a>, a wireless mini-charger that’s compatible with all Qi wireless charging devices – including 7.5W iPhones.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2340696-1&h=3572484747&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.incase.com%2F&a=Incase">Incase</a>, creator of design-driven solutions centered on protection and mobility, today introduces a <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2340696-1&h=2459108775&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.incase.com%2Fces2019%2Feconeue&a=collection">collection</a> of sustainably designed MacBook sleeves and accessory organizers created with ecoNEUE, a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified material sourced from responsibly managed forests in Sweden and actively supports reforestation. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">At this week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Speck previewed <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2339588-1&h=1136037656&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.speckproducts.com%2Fcase-e&a=Case-E" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Case-E</span></a>, a new children’s case for the last five generations of 9.7-inch iPads.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">As noted by <a href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/01/07/apple-music-expands-song-lyrics-support-to-seven-countries-including-france-and-germany" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em></a>, Apple has expanded Apple Music song lyrics functionality to France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and Spain. Apple Music lyrics includes both song lyrics, which appear onscreen while listening to tunes, and a search feature that allows users to find song titles by typing in a relevant string of words. </p>