Cortana (unsurprisingly) bidding farewell to iOS, Android, Invoke next year

Microsoft is ending support for Cortana on even more devices.

What you need to know

Microsoft is ending support for the Cortana apps on iOS and Android.
Microsoft is ending support for Cortana on the Harman Kardon Invoke Speaker.
Microsoft is ending support for the current version of Cortana on the original Surface Headphones.
Need we go on?

Microsoft announced several cuts coming to Cortana, its digital assistant today, including ending support for third-party Cortana skills, the Cortana apps on iOS and Android, and Cortana support of the Harman Kardon Invoke speaker. These cuts come as part of Microsoft’s shift of Cortana towards being a productivity-centered assistant.

Cortana support for the various devices won’t be cut off at once. Cortana skills will no longer be supported as of September 7, 2020. In early 2021, Microsoft will stop supporting the Cortana apps on iOS and Android. Harman Kardon Invoke speakers will lose support for Cortana in January 2021.

Microsoft points…

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Review: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the version of the game you’ll want

This might not be a new Mario Kart, but it offers just enough to be worth the buy.

As an avid Nintendo player there are some games I always look forward to on their new consoles, no matter how many other games in the series I’ve played on older systems. Mario Kart is one of those for me. It’s a classic that brings together all the best Nintendo characters in a friendly competition on the track, but still manages to bring something new to the table in each game in the series.

So when Mario Kart 8 Deluxe became available for the Nintendo Switch, I didn’t even give buying it a second thought. Seeing as this game seems to continue to get better and better, I’m glad I just bought it.

Worth the ride

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Bottom line: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe brings together all the best pieces from previous Mario Kart games while adding enough extra to make it worth the buy. If you enjoy variety, this Mario Kart is the best yet with many character options, kart customizations, battle modes…

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Bring your messages to life with some emoji and tapbacks

How do you emoji recommendations, emoji reactions, and emojifications? It’s all in the Messages app!

If you like sending emoji in your texts and iMessages, Apple makes doing that incredibly easy. Between Tapbacks for reacting directly to a message and using machine learning to know which emoji to recommend, Apple understands the importance of these little pictograms to modern communication.

If that doesn’t sound important to you, then you haven’t seen the kind of cheers emoji get on stage or the amount of interest they generate on social platforms. They’re a big, smiley, thumbs-up kind of deal!

If you’re looking to spice up your messages to your friends and family, you can litter them with emoji all you want! Here’s how you do it!

How do you get emoji recommendations in Messages?
How do you emojify a message?
How do you react with an emoji Tapback in an iMessage?
What do the Tapback emoji reactions mean?
How do you change the emoji reaction Tapback on an iMessage?
How do you del…

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Enjoy some screen time outdoors with the best outdoor projector screens

Projectors are no longer just for the home theater. There are all kinds of portable options available that can bring the big screen to just about anywhere, including the great outdoors. Outdoor projector screens offer a great way to keep up on your favorite shows outside, without having to worry about taking them down because rain is coming. Here’s our guide to the best outdoor projector screens that you can buy today.

Stand up

TaoTronics Indoor/Outdoor Projector Screen

Staff Favorite

When it comes to portability and stability, nothing beats the classic tripod design, which this TaoTronics Indoor/Outdoor Projector Screen has. Coming in at 100-inches, this screen offers an ultra-wide 160-degree viewing angle, and its height can be customized without tools. An easy to clean durable PVC matte screen material resists fading and yellowing, and it can be folded away without worrying about wrinkles.

$131 at Amazon

Big on a budget

Mdbebbron 120 inch Projection Screen

If you…

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AAPL has hit a new all-time high following impressive quarterly results

What you need to know

AAPL has hit a new all-time high.
A share sits at $409.34 currently.
This after an impressive quarterly report yesterday.

What pandemic?.

Apple shared its quarterly earnings yesterday and the numbers seem to have pleased Wall Street. So much so that AAPL is trading at an all-time high of $409.34 at the time of writing.

What made everyone so happy? Apple sold a ton of iPhones and its services are doing pretty well, too. Same old, same old.

The quarter saw net iPhone sales hit $26.4 billion, up about $500 million from the previous year, while services hit $13.2 billion, up nearly $2 billion from a year ago. iPad, Mac, and wearables sales figures were also up during Q3 over the same period in 2019.

On the back of yesterday’s results, Apple has also announced a 4-1 stock split, reducing the price of a single share to around $100 when the change happens on August 31.

If you’re looking for the full rundown of how yesterday’s earnings call went down, we …

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Review: BlazePods are the future of athletic and fitness training

BlazePod’s flash reflex system lets you create and execute challenging workouts and sports drills in any environment with virtually no equipment necessary.

Fitness enthusiasts, athletes, and sports trainers have been implementing advanced tools like flash reflex technology for years, but it hasn’t always been available to average Janes like me. Now with the kids homeschooling and no open gyms in our area, we are finding new ways to improve our exercise and fitness routines. The BlazePod Flash Reflex System has taken our home exercise game to a whole new and unbelievable level. It’s incredibly challenging for me, but also provides fun and competitive ways for my kids to work out, which is a win-win for the entire family.

It’s important to note that while I’ve been using BlazePods as sort of a replacement for a home gym (since I don’t have room for gym equipment), these little light pods are designed to be used for world class sports training. They are useful for hundreds of sport-sp…

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Still looking for Ditto in Pokémon Go? Here’s how to catch it!

If you’re looking for Ditto, here’s what Pokémon you need to be catching!

Ditto is a Pokémon who can transform into other Pokémon. It can take on the appearance, attributes, and attacks of any other Pokémon it sees. Although Ditto was missing from the original release of Pokémon Go Gen I, Ditto eventually found its way into the world, hiding as Pidgy, Rattata, Zubat, and Magikarp. With each subsequent generation, Ditto has learned to transform into new species and sometimes, it will stop showing up as certain species. Fortunately, we know every species Ditto can currently transform into.

Which Pokémon can be Ditto?

As of August 2020:

Paras
Hoothoot
Ledyba
Spinarak
Hoppip
Remoraid
Whismur
Gulpin
Nummel
Bidoof
Foongus

What’s Ditto, and why do you want it?

Ditto is one of the first generation Pokémon that wasn’t available at the launch of the Pokémon Go game. It took a while for that to change. You want Ditto because the hiding mechanic isn’t just cool; you need it t…

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Apple Watch Series 6 might be able to monitor your blood oxygen levels

What you need to know

Apple Watch Series 6 will offer blood oxygen level monitoring, according to a report.
The feature will allow wearers to keep tabs on another important stat.
The monitoring could detect when someone is having a panic attack.

Monitoring all the things.

When Apple launches the Apple Watch Series 6 wearable this fall, it’ll come with a whole new sensor according to a new DigiTimes report.

First spotted by MacRumors, the report claims that a new sensor will be able to measure blood oxygen levels as well as the many other stats it is already capable of tracking.

Apple Watch 6 will feature biosensors that can monitor sleeping conditions, detect blood oxygen and measure pulse rates, heartbeats and atrial fibrillation, and will also incorporate MEMS-based accelerometer and gyroscope, all allowing the new device to continue to lead in measurement precision among wearable devices, the sources said.

Apple Watch Series 6 wouldn’t be the first wearable to track bl…

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Remember that magazine Steve Jobs signed? Turns out it sold for $16,638.

What you need to know

Steve Jobs signed a magazine in 1989.
He was on the cover of Fortune.
That magazine has now sold for almost $17,000.

Mo money, mo magazines.

Having something with Steve Jobs’ signature on is a license to print money, it seems. We told you not too long ago about a magazine that had been signed by the Apple co-founder and was up for auction alongside a certificate of authenticity. Now that magazine has sold, raking in a cool $16,638.

Here’s the story as described in the auction itself.

Steve Jobs signed ”Fortune” magazine cover from its 9 October 1989 issue, published shortly after the launch of Jobs’ new company NeXT, Inc. Jobs signs in black ink, ”To Terry / steve jobs”, with his characteristic lower case signature, next to a photo of the charismatic technology icon. The recipient, Terry, was one of Jobs’ chauffeur drivers for several years before asking Jobs to sign this magazine, although Jobs subsequently called the limousine company to complain…

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Lull baby to sleep with a sleep noise machine

When you’re a new parent, there’s nothing you want more than for your baby to sleep peacefully at night. Getting your baby to fall asleep and stay asleep isn’t always easy. A noise machine can be helpful. These machines can block out some household noise as well as give your baby’s mind something restful to focus on. Noise machines might play lullabies, nature sounds, and white noise. Some also include a nightlight feature. Here are some of the best sleep noise machines for babies.

Soothing sounds for everyone

Dreamegg White Noise Sound Machine

Staff Favorite

Not just for babies, this machine plays 24 different soothing sounds and emits a soft glow. Set the auto shut-off timer or simply let it run all night.

From $36 at Amazon

Stars and sounds

Summer Slumber Buddies

It may look like just a cute stuffed animal, but it plays five meditative songs and nature sounds. It projects a relaxing starry light show from its back, you choose the colors and set the timer.

$20 at Amazo…

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