Google might Announce a new Chromecast this mont

Rumor has it a second-generation Google Chromecast will be available later this month. 9to5 Google reports it acquired internal Google documents detailing and updated video streaming dongle coming this month.

Chromecast is an HDMI dongle that streams content from your iOS and Android apps directly to your TV screen. The device was first introduced two years ago, and it later launched Google Cast SDK allowing third-party apps on iOS and Android to add Chrome Cast support.

The new Chromecast will be announced at a Google event on Sept. 29, according to the report. Until then, here's a rundown of the new features:

• The hardware itself might depart from its current look. It'll come in three colors, although it's hard to describe what shape it is based on the photos. Will it be a flat, short upside-down lollipop or mini kettle bell?
• Google is looking to improve Chromecast's WiFi and introduce "Fast Play." Fast Play will establish a quicker connection and play content more smoothly when you're casting from your device.
• Google also has plans for "Chromecast Audio," which would allow the device to plug into any speaker or audio system in your home via an aux cord. Apparently, it'll have multi-room support and "high-quality audio."
• Chromecast might support Spotify, allowing it to join Google Play Music, Netflix, Pandora and other subscription services already offered on Chromecast.

Another major change is an update to the Chromecast companion app. Currently the app helps you set up Chromecast and connect it to your Wi-Fi, change up your home screen and manage settings. The updated version will have a feature called "What's On," the report says. What's On is another way for you to discover content such as movies and videos to stream from Chromecast-supported apps.

The "new Chromecast" will also support content feeds, though it's unclear what sort of feeds Google is referring to. Twitter feeds? Facebook feeds? We'll have to wait and see. Currently, you can personalize the Chromecast home screen with images, art and weather updates [Source : Mashable].

Lionel Messi Scores twice as Barcelona ease past Levante at Home

Barcelona kept their place at the top of the Primera Division and maintained their 100 percent start to the season by beating Levante 4-1 at the Nou Camp.

The visitors managed to keep the Spanish champions at bay until half-time, but Marc Bartra soon broke the deadlock before a double from Lionel Messi and a goal from Neymar increased Barca's advantage, while Victor Casadesus netted a consolation for Levante.

Luis Enrique rotated his side following the 1-1 draw with Roma and with a difficult trip to Celta Vigo coming up in three days' time. Sergi Roberto, Andres Iniesta, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez all dropped to the bench, while Munir El Haddadi, Sandro Ramirez and Marc Bartra came in, and Dani Alves returned after spending a month out injured.

Although Barcelona predictably dominated possession throughout the game, they struggled to break Levante down in the opening 45 minutes. Neymar flashed a shot wide of the far post after being played in by Messi, and the Argentinian was then denied by a double save from Ruben Martinez.

The goalkeeper kept out another shot from Messi later in the half, and to his relief Sandro blasted the loose ball into the side netting. There were also a couple of scares for the hosts, who found themselves caught on the break on two separate occasions, but they were grateful for the wayward finishing of Levante forward Nabil Ghilas and midfielder Verza.

Barca finally took the lead on 50 minutes through the unlikely figure of Bartra, who controlled a curling pass from Messi with his chest before tucking the ball in at the near post. Levante's resistance had finally been breached, and six minutes later Barca struck again, this time Neymar getting on the end of a ball from the right-hand side from Alves, and striking the ball beyond three Levante defenders at the second time of asking.

Messi had been playing a deeper role in the game than usual but was able to get on the scoresheet via the penalty spot after Neymar was tripped by Angel Trujillo. Casadesus made the most of some sloppy goalkeeping from Marc-Andre Ter Stegen to pull one back for Levante but the visitors then conceded another penalty when Zouhair Feddal tugged Messi's shirt in the area.

This time the Argentinian sent the ball flying into the stands behind the goal, missing his second penalty of the season. However, he made amends in the last minute with a trademark run through the defence and a low, driven, left-footed shot into the bottom corner [Source : ESPN FC].

Pinterest hits 100 million users, proving the addiction is real

Pinterest reached 100 million monthly active users, the company announced in a blog post on Wednesday, a big milestone for the visual bookmarking treasure chest.

In March, the company was valued at $11 billion, which put it right behind Snapchat — but ahead of Dropbox and Airbnb — at the time.

Additionally, 70% of those 100 million monthly active users aren't just on Pinterest for the pins; they're saving links or clicking through to learn more. The number of Pinterest searches also grown 81% in the last year, according to the company.

People are also adding 24 million fashion pins daily, according to the company.

Pinterest has become a place for users to rack up ideas on what they want to buy — or build — next, and advertisers have been helping with that. In January, the company introduced Promoted Pins to users' home feeds. They work just like regular pins, but businesses pay for them to show up.

The company also rolled out Buyable Pins in June, which let users buy products directly within the Pinterest app.

Despite Pinterest's growth, it still lags behind its social networking counterparts. Its user base is one-third the size of both Instagram and Twitter, according to New York Times [Source : Mashable].

Facebook Will let You Buy Products from Retailers Pages

You'll soon be able to buy a lot more stuff on Facebook. The social network is testing a shopping experience that allows users to buy items directly from business' Facebook pages. The new shopping feature, first reported by BuzzFeed, will allow retailers to turn their Facebook pages into mini storefronts outside of their main websites.

Facebook confirmed the new shopping features to Mashable Wednesday, saying it's currently being tested among a small number of users and a handful of retail and e-commerce companies.

On mobile, the shopping features will appear in a new "shopping" section on the page, as pictured in the mockup image, below, while on desktop the shopping section will appear as a separate tab on the page in the same area where the Timeline, About, Photos and other tabs are currently located.

In the shopping section, companies will show off products in a format that appears to be similar to the way photos are laid out. If you want to buy one of the products, the retailers will be able to choose whether the actual transaction will take place within Facebook or whether you'll be redirected to the company's website.

For those that choose to keep the shopping experience inside Facebook, the checkout process will be very similar to the one already in place on Facebook ads that use the buy button.

Facebook spokesperson Mike Manning said it's too early to offer a timeline for when it will expand more broadly to include more retailers or be surfaced to more users. He declined to name the businesses participating in the initial test, but noted there are a range of different-sized retailers and e-commerce companies currently involved.

The news comes as other social platforms are looking to increase engagement — and, eventually, revenue — with native shopping experiences. Pinterest rolled out buyable pins earlier this year, and Google announced Wednesday it would be experimenting with a "buy" button in its search results.

Meanwhile Facebook has been increasingly experimenting with payments and shopping features. The company added peer-to-peer payments in Messenger earlier this year, and rolled out a business version of Facebook Messenger that allows customers to interact with businesses, including retailers. Recent reports have suggested the social network is also in the midst of testing a shopping assistant feature for Messenger.

It doesn't sound like Facebook plans to make money directly off shopping transactions for now, but all these new shopping and payment-related features fall in line with the company's larger goal of keeping users in its apps and website as long as possible [Source : Mashable].

Twitter Accused of Eavesdropping on direct messages in New lawsuit

Sending direct messages are a way for Twitter users to communicate out of the public eye, but a new lawsuit alleges those communications are not really so private.

A class action suit, brought in federal court in San Francisco by Wilford Raney, claims that Twitter "surreptitiously eavesdrops" on users' direct messages without consent via its algorithms, and benefits from the surveillance.

This undisclosed surveillance, the suit alleges, takes place when a user writes a direct message and includes a hyperlink.

Using a New York Times link as an example, the suit says that Twitter’s algorithms identify hyperlinks and replace them with its own custom links, so that the person clicking on the link travels through Twitter’s analytics servers before reaching the destination website.

"For example, Twitter changes links like "www.nytimes.com" to links like "http:/t.co/CL2SKBxr1s" (while still displaying the text "www.nytimes.com" to its users). Should someone click on this new link (http:/t.co/CL2SKBxr1s), they would first be taken to Twitter’s "t.co" website and then forwarded to the original "www.nytimes.com" website."

In its privacy policy, Twitter discloses that it may keep track of how users interact with links, so it will be interesting to see if the courts consider this sufficient to cover its bases. "We do this to help improve our Services, to provide more relevant advertising, and to be able to share aggregate click statistics such as how many times a particular link was clicked on," Twitter writes.

The suit alleges the company benefits from replacing user hyperlinks with its own, as it allows the platform to track links for advertisers. "In the example given, the New York Times would identify Twitter as the source of internet traffic, whereas without replacing the link the source would be anonymous. The end result is that Twitter can negotiate better advertising rates," it explains.

The suit calls for Twitter to stop intercepting, reading and altering direct messages without user consent. It also seeks redress and statutory damages under the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act and California privacy law.

Twitter is not the only technology company that's had to deal with accusations of message scanning.

In 2014, the Wall Street Journal reported that Google had stopped scanning student Gmail accounts to serve them ads after being hit with a lawsuit from a group of California students. The suit alleged the company's monitoring of Gmail violated federal and state privacy laws [Source : Mashable].

Developer Shows iPhone 6S likely has 2GB of RAM

Finally — after being stuck with only 1GB of RAM memory since iPhone 5, which came out in 2012 — iPhone users get an upgrade.

The recently launched iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus apparently both have 2GB of RAM.

While this hasn't been officially confirmed (and likely won't be confirmed until someone opens the device up and inspects the memory chip), we know it thanks to developer Hamza Sood, who did some tinkering with the latest version of Apple's development platform Xcode.

Sood did this by creating a simple app, which displays an image based on the iDevice's memory. While not an entirely foolproof way to prove that the new iPhones indeed sport a 2GB RAM chip, it's a good indication that this is indeed the case.

Furthermore, the iPad Pro has 4GB of RAM (twice as much as other new iPads), which was already leaked by Apple itself.

So what does this mean for the consumers? Despite the fact that Apple doesn't publicize these numbers, it's very good news. It means the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus will have a lot less trouble handling memory-hungry apps, and actually makes them a decent upgrade over the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, respectively (Source : Mashable).

8 things Apple didn't tell you about the iPad Pro

The iPad Pro is gargantuan. Its 12.9-inch Retina HD display dwarfs the iPad Air 2. Its Hulk-powerful, but still thin and light. It's basically Apple's version of the Microsoft Surface Pro 3.

Apple dedicated a big chunk of its September Apple event to highlight the biggest iPad ever. But in the product-packed event (new iPhones, Apple TV and Apple Watch news) that ran over two hours, there wasn't enough time to get to all the details, so we dug them up for you.

Here's what you may not know about Apple's huge new iPad.

1. No 3D Touch for you!

The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus' marquee feature is 3D Touch. Pressing harder on the screen will bring up shortcuts or previews (called peeks and pops). It's basically the Apple Watch's pressure-sensitive Force Touch, but for the iPhones.

You'd think the new expensive iPad Pro would have it, right? Nope. There's no 3D Touch on the iPad Pro. Maybe next year's model?

2. Apple Pencil charges up fast.

Pricey $99 price tag aside, the Apple Pencil can recharge via the iPad Pro's Lightning port super quick. Apple's spec rates a 15-second (yes, second) charge at 30 minutes of Pencil usage time.

The Apple Pencil has a 12-hour battery life. Doing the math, it would take 6 minutes to fully charge the Pencil for 12 hours of use. Not bad.

3. The Lightning port is now a gadget charger.

Speaking of the Lightning port on the iPad Pro, it's now bidirectional (like USB Type-C ports on future Android devices), meaning it can be take in power and output power. Until now, no other Apple device with a Lightning port has been bidirectional.

At the moment, we only know the iPad Pro's Lightning port can charge the iPad Pencil. What we don't know is if it can output enough power to charge up other accessories. It would be pretty neat to be able to charge up future Fitbits or other fitness trackers with a Lightning connector.

4. Apple Pencil is iPad Pro only.

As we noted on Apple's big day, the Apple Pencil doesn't just cost $99, but only works with the iPad Pro because its tip is not capacitive. You won't even be able to use it as a regular non-pressure-sensitive stylus on old iPhones and iPads.

5. Bluetooth keyboards are second-class citizens.

Apple didn't outright declare Bluetooth keyboards unwelcome on the iPad Pro, but it might as well have. The iPad Pro has a new magnetic port called the Smart Connector. The new connector can connect Apple's Smart Keyboard and supply it with power — no Bluetooth connection required.

That's great news because Bluetooth keyboards can be finicky and have connection problems at times. The connector also means third-party keyboards like Logitech's CREATE keyboard for the iPad Pro can be thinner and lighter since they don't need to have batteries inside.

6. Smart Keyboard is spill- and stain-resistant.

Go ahead and eat your chips and burrito all over Apple's Smart Keyboard. And while you're at it, you can feel free to use it as coaster and spill as much soda and beer on it as you want. For $169 keyboard, it damn well better be soda-resistant.

You can be a little piggy because the Smart Keyboard has no gaps and is resistant to spills and stains. To clean, just wipe it with a damp cloth.

7. The cameras still kind of blow.

No matter how stupid it looks in public, people are using their iPads to take photos and video. The iPad has always had a crappy camera and the iPad Pro is no different.

It's saddled with an 8-megapixel back iSight camera with an f/2.4 aperture lens. In other words, the quality is pretty meh and low-light performance is going to be garbage — like on the iPad Air 2.

The front-facing FaceTime HD camera is a measly 1.2-megapixels. Sure, it records 720p HD video, but those selfies are going to look like crap.

It's time Apple stops crippling the iPad with cameras that are inferior to the iPhone's. There's really no good reason why the 12-megapixel back camera and the 5-megapixel selfie camera on the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus aren't on the iPad Pro. This is tablet starting at $800 for crying out loud.

8. There's a ton of RAM.

RAM, short for Random Access Memory, is the memory every computer needs to read and write data. Memory is not to be confused with storage, which is the amount of bytes used to store data.

Without going down the nerd rabbit hole too much, the more RAM a device has, the faster the data can be retrieved, and thus the smoother the experience will feel; you can open more apps, usually experience fewer crashes and run more processor and graphics-intensive apps (like editing video clips) quicker.

Historically, Apple has saddled its iOS devices with very little RAM. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus only have 1GB of RAM and the iPad Air 2 has 2GB of RAM. The iPad Pro, however, reportedly has 4GB of RAM.

In a press release for its Creative Cloud apps, Adobe originally stated the iPad Pro has 4GB of RAM. Though the release has now been edited to remove the spec, well-connected Apple bloggers like John Gruber strongly believe it has 4GB of RAM as well [Source : Mashable].

Messi Dedicates "Winning Goal" to Newborn Son in Barca win at Atletico

Lionel Messi returned to Barcelona from international duty with Argentina this week and skipped the club's only training session on Thursday to attend the birth of his son Mateo. But even the world's best player doesn't go straight back into the starting XI without training.

So when Barça kicked off Saturday's big La Liga showdown at Atletico Madrid, Messi began the game watching from the bench. Judging by Messi's expression, he wasn't thrilled.

But Little Leo came on as a substitute in the 60th minute and, as has been the case for most of his encounters with Atletico Madrid, he scored – the 20th goal of his career against Atleti – finishing a nifty combination play in the 77th minute to cap Barcelona's comeback for a 2-1 victory.

Messi marked the occasion by doing the requisite thumb-sucking celebration to honor his baby boy. Remarkably, he entered the day having gone goalless in his first two La Liga matches like his Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo took care of his "goal drought" in impressive fashion with a five-goal explosion in a 6-0 destruction of Espanyol.

Overshadowed by Messi's heroics was the brilliant free kick by Neymar that brought Barcelona level at 1-1. Four minutes after Fernando Torres gave Atleti the lead, the Brazilian produced this thing of beauty [Source : Yahoo Sport].

Lionel Messi: "Wayne Rooney is a Once in a Generation Player"

Many tributes have flooded in for the Manchester United and England captain after the striker became England’s all-time leading goalscorer on Tuesday — he scored his 50th goal in 107 games for the Three Lions to surpass Sir Bobby Charlton’s long-standing record — but perhaps Messi’s glowing praise will stand out above them all.

Messi, the captain of Argentina and a Barcelona legend who has been crowned the best player on the planet on four different occasions, had the following to say about Rooney.

“Wayne Rooney is for me a once in a generation player. One of those special players, who is not comparable to any other,” Messi said. “There are many special players, but Rooney has exceptional quality and technical ability as well as being one of the strongest players I have faced with an exceptional work rate – there is nobody like him.”

With Messi, 28, just a year younger than Rooney, we have barely seen their talents grace the same field over the years with only fleeting appearances against each other in the UEFA Champions League and on the international stage.

However, if Messi rates Rooney so highly, does he deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the Argentine magician, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Luis Suarez in terms of his greatness?

In a few years time, despite all the doubts and off-the-field issues during his 13-year career to date, fans of England and United may well look back and realize they didn’t truly appreciate what they had with Rooney until he’s gone [Source : NBC Sport]..

Hands-On With the Apple iPhone 6S and 6S Plus

At least, not until you press a little harder on the Camera icon. That’s when you get 3D Touch, which is what’s really worth talking about. 3D Touch basically enables the phone to measure not just when you move your finger up and down, left and right, but now also through. When you press a little harder, you get what’s called “Peek”—a pop-up of the contents of an email, or the status of a flight, or a quick way to call the business you’re tapping on in Maps.

Press more, and you “Pop.” That’s when you jump to a new place in the operating system. You can press on icons on the homescreen, too, and jump straight to the selfie cam or call your mom without ever actually opening the Phone app. It’s an over-branded way of giving you quick access to the things you’re probably looking for by opening that app, or flipping into that email. I’d call it right-click for the iPhone, but that feels like a dig, so…actually yeah, it’s right-click for the iPhone.

But that’s great! For a lot of users, it might remain a completely invisible piece of the software, an interface shortcut you never discover. If you never use it, your iPhone will work as it always has. But when you discover it, everything feels faster, more direct—it makes the iPhone a less like a collection of apps and more like a single, cohesive thing. 

That’s not always true, though. The problem with 3D Touch is that you never know where the hidden menus are—some apps don’t support it, neither do some menus, and you never get a hint. So you’re forced to hunt around looking for this buried treasure, which I’m worried I’d just stop doing after a while. 3D Touch lets you “see” what’s inside whatever you’re looking at; but how far it will let you look is difficult to say so far.

The other big upgrade seems to be the camera, as per usual. The new 12-megapixel camera and 4K video recording are hard to measure in any useful way inside this gigantic demo room. But the photos and videos I’ve seen look insane. Like, incredible. But again, hard to say for sure what they’ll be like in the real world. Live Photos are another interesting update, giving 1.5 seconds of video on either end of the photo you’ve shot. (Apple picked that amount of time figuring that any longer, and you’re catching people turning away from the shot, or doing something else.

1.5 seconds is about how long they’ll stay engaged.) It’s a pretty small feature compared to the attention it received, but it’s a neat way to make your photo gallery feel a little more interactive. (How much these animated compilations—which are turned on by default—kill your storage remains to be seen.) Despite the noteworthy bits, this is the same S cycle upgrade we’re used to: You’re getting a lot more power, a few new ways to go about using your device, and a couple of small things that make the phone more fun. Oh, and that rose gold looks pretty good [Source :Wired].

Floyd Mayweather Defends Decision to face Andre Berto over Amir Khan

Floyd Mayweather says Andre Berto will be "no pushover" and has defended his decision not to face British welterweight Amir Khan. Mayweather (48-0-KO26) faces his fellow American at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday and has vowed to call time on his outstanding 19-year professional career following their bout in Las Vegas.

The unbeaten 38-year-old, who has held world titles in five separate weight divisions, has faced criticism for choosing to face Berto (30-3-KO23) in his final fight. IBF world welterweight champion Kell Brook accused Mayweather of "playing it safe", while Khan has continually spoken of his frustration at being overlooked for a clash with the American.

Brook and his fellow Brit Khan were among the candidates touted as potential opponents for Mayweather following his unanimous points decision victory over Manny Pacquiao in May. Mayweather, however, has defended his choice of opponent and even claimed there is no difference between the credentials of Berto and Khan.

"Berto is not a pushover, but no matter who I chose, the media was going to have something to say. The critics were going to have something to say. He's no different from Amir Khan," he said.

"Amir Khan has three losses and Berto has three losses. He's a two-time world champion just like Amir Khan. Virgil Hunter (Berto's trainer) is a remarkable trainer and he's done remarkable things with Andre Ward's career.

"I know what it takes to win a fight of this magnitude. So no matter what anyone says, it comes down to the two competitors and I know what I can do. One thing I can do is fight." If Mayweather overcomes Berto, he will equal former heavyweight world champion Rocky Marciano's record of 49-0. But Mayweather insists there is no chance of complacency creeping into his psyche as he prepares for his boxing curtain call [Source : Sky Sport].

iPhone 6S and 6S Plus Cameras Will Take Your Photos to The Next Level

Apple held a huge event in San Francisco on Wednesday to announce the new iPad Pro, new Apple TV and, of course, the new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. Like every year, the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, are the most powerful iPhones yet. They've got faster processors, run iOS 9 and support 3D Touch — all amazing new features. But the new cameras have us more excited than ever before.

Both the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus have higher resolution 12-megapixel iSight cameras (that's the camera on the back) with dual-LED flash. The megapixel bump means your photos will look even sharper than before with more details when you zoom in on them.

The aperture on the back camera lens is f/2.2, which is a little disappointing since the Galaxy S6/Note 5/GS6 Edge+ and LG G4 have f/1.9 and f/1.8 apertures, respectively. The aperture controls how much light the camera absorbs, which affects how well the camera performs in low-light situations. Still, Apple says the back camera will take better low-light photos than those on its other phones.

It's not just the back camera that's better — the front-facing FaceTime HD camera has received its biggest update ever, jumping from a 1.2-megapixel camera to a 5-megapixel one. To help capture even better selfies, Apple's incorporating a new software function it calls Retina Flash. Basically, right before the front camera snaps a shot, the screen will quickly flash a white screen to help illuminate your face. Apple says selfies will have "true-to-life colors and more natural-looking skin tones."

Another new camera feature is called Live Photos. When you take a photo, the camera records a few seconds of video before and after — complete with sound. It's basically a GIF (not a video), or if you really want to go into the geek world, it's like a live photo from Harry Potter. The downside to Live Photos is that they'll only be viewable on iOS devices on Macs through the Photos app. The Facebook app will also support Live Photos.

And finally, for the first time on any iPhone, the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus can record video in 4K resolution at 3,840 x 2,160 resolution at 30 frames per second — four times the resolution of full HD's 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. This brings the iPhone on par with Android phones that have been able to record 4K video for years.

Frankly, we're skeptic of 4K video recording; to really appreciate the 4x amount of details over HD, you need to own a 4K TV or computer display. And from previous experiences, 4K video recording is a big battery drainer. While recording 4K video, you'll be able to snap 8-megapixel still photos.

The two cameras retain the iPhone 6/6 Plus's slow-motion video recording at 1080p resolution at 120 fps and 720p at 240 fps and timelapse recording. Fans holding out for Apple putting optical image stabilization (OIS) on the smaller iPhone 6S won't find it there. OIS is exclusive to the larger iPhone 6S Plus [Source : Mashable].

How to Watch Apple's iPhone 6S Live Stream

Apple's newest line of iPhones are about arrive. Apple will hold one of its most anticipated events of the year Wednesday at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. The Cupertino company is expected to unveil a pair of new iPhones, an updated Apple TV and possibly a larger iPad.

All of the updates will begin Wednesday at 10 a.m PT when Apple CEO Tim Cook is expected to take the stage to kick off what's sure to be a jam-packed keynote. For those not lucky enough to be able to watch the event live from the San Francisco auditorium, Apple will host a live stream of the entire event on its website.

As usual, Apple limits its live video feed to those running Safari on an iOS device (iOS 7 and later), Mac OS X (10.8.5 with Safari 6.0.5 or newer) or those with a second or third generation Apple TV with 6.2 or later. Interestingly, Windows users have it a lot easier this year compared with previous events — at least, if you're running Windows 10.

Apple is making its live stream available to Windows users for the first time in years through support for Edge, Microsoft's new browser introduced with Windows 10. But, if you don't have a supported browser or device, you're not out of luck. There are several different methods to get around Apple's restrictions. One popular tactic is to change the required settings in your browser in order to fool Apple's live stream into thinking you're using a supported browser.

The simplest way to do this is to use an extension or add-on that changes your browser's user agent settings. The User-Agent Switcher extension for Chrome and User Agent Switcher for Firefox allow you to easily "switch" your settings to Safari, which will enable you to access the live stream. You can also change your user agent settings manually, though it's a bit more complicated. See steps for changing your settings manually here.

If all else fails, you can also watch the event using the free VLC media player, which is available for Mac, Windows, Linux and Android. Once you've downloaded the software, select "Open Media," open the Network tab, and enter Apple's URL for the live stream (you will need to wait for the event to start before you can grab the exact URL.)

Apple's live streams have encountered technical problems in the past so it's a good idea to get your setup ready at least a few minutes before the start of the event. Mashable will also be on the ground in San Francisco for the event so follow our live blog for real-time updates and analysis [Source : Mashable].

MotoGP Silverstone : Rossi Wins Dramatic wet British GP

Valentino Rossi has regained the lead in the MotoGP championship with victory in a dramatic wet race at Silverstone, while Jorge Lorenzo lost vital ground in the title fight after being pushed out by Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Dovizioso. The Movistar Yamaha rider mastered the treacherous conditions in driving rain after taking the lead from Lorenzo in the opening stages while his closest rival Marc Marquez crashed out on lap 13 to all put end his revival in the championship battle.

Octo Pramac Ducati's Danilo Petrucci had the ride of his life to take a maiden MotoGP rostrum in second and even had a shot at Rossi after reeling in the leader in the closing stages. Andrea Dovizioso made it a near-perfect day for the Italian manufacturer by taking the final podium place ahead of Lorenzo. In another Rossi win full of high drama it was a nightmare day for Honda, who had three riders in the top six in the opening stages but after multiple crashes Dani Pedrosa represented the top Honda in fifth place.

Marquez suffered a slip coming around Copse corner at the start of lap 13 while chasing Rossi in second and his Repsol Honda bike flicked him off, which promoted Petrucci and Dovizioso on to the podium. Cal Crutchlow had his dreams of a first MotoGP podium at his home event destroyed by his LCR Honda team-mate Jack Miller. The rookie got an electric start off the line from 16th to battle into the top five but attempted an extravagant move down the inside of Crutchlow from a long distance back and failed to control his entry into Vale to low-side and collect his team-mate who was a passenger.

The wet conditions caused havoc for many of the riders who showed promising race pace earlier in the weekend in the dry. Scott Redding, who announced a new deal to move to Pramac Ducati for 2016 on the morning of the race, grabbed his best result of 2015 in sixth to finish top British rider ahead of his fellow countryman Bradley Smith in seventh. Andrea Iannone took a low-key eighth place ahead of Aleix Espargaro, while Alvaro Bautista rounded out the top ten. The original race start had to be red flagged as the weather took a dramatic turn moments before the start. After initially being declared a dry race the rain fell much heavier during the warm-up lap and every rider returned to the pits to change to the wet set-up and race direction aborted the start.

Maverick Vinales ended the British MotoGP as top rookie in 11th while Nicky Hayden grabbed the top open class honours in 12th. Avintia Racing duo Hector Barbera and Mike Di Meglio finished a distant 13th and 14th with Alex De Angelis rounding out the points paying positions. While Petrucci enjoyed a fantastic day for Pramac Ducati his team-mate Yonny Hernandez had one to forget after crashing on the exit of turn one on the opening lap after being bunched out [Source : Crash]

Barcelona lose Spanish Super Cup to Athletic Bilbao

Athletic Bilbao won a first trophy in 31 years as a 1-1 draw with Barcelona at the Nou Camp secured the Spanish Super Cup with a 5-1 aggregate victory. Bilbao won the first leg 4-0 but Barcelona threatened a comeback with Lionel Messi's close-range finish. Barca defender Gerard Pique was sent-off after the break and Aritz Aduriz struck late on to seal it for Bilbao.

The visitors had Kike Sola sent-off late on, but the celebrations for Bilbao had already begun. It was ultimately a disappointing display for Barcelona who, despite plenty of possession, failed to threaten often enough. After Barcelona's humiliating defeat in the first leg, Athletic Bilbao knew Luis Enrique's side would be determined to make amends.

The reigning European champions lined up with Messi, Luis Suarez and Pedro in attack but the visitors had done their homework and the trio were well marshalled throughout. Whenever Messi had the ball, at least two players crowded round the Argentina international and his inability to get into the game left Suarez isolated.

Enrique heads into the new season with some concerns at the back. Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen was named on the bench after conceding eight goals in his last two games, with Chile international Claudio Bravo starting in his place.

Barcelona's attacking intent often left them exposed at the back, and any hopes of getting the goals they needed ended when Pique was needlessly sent-off midway through the second half. The defender angrily remonstrated with the linesman and the referee produced a straight red.

After a brief spell of Barca dominance, Jeremy Mathieu gifted possession to Aduriz, leaving the forward one-on-one with Bravo and, after his initial effort was saved, Aduriz side-footed home the rebound to put the game beyond Barcelona [BBC Sport].

Upgrading Your iPhone Just Got Easier on Another Carrier

With the new iPhone to be announced next month, Sprint has introduced a new iPhone Forever plan that will let its customers upgrade your old iPhone whenever there is a new iPhone out at no additional cost. Of course, while there are no upgrade fees, the plan will start at $22 per month for the handset itself on top of your normal plan costs when you trade in your old iPhone for a new one.

While the offer will let you currently upgrade to a 16GB iPhone 6 for that monthly price, Sprint also has a special promotion right now as well that will drop the monthly handset cost to $15 per month if you upgrade before 31 December 2015.

"We decided how awesome would it be if anytime customers don't have the latest iPhone, they are eligible to upgrade, and have it be as simple as handing us your existing iPhone and picking up a new one – all included in your monthly rate," Sprint's CEO Marcelo Claure said.

While it looks like Sprint is taking big steps to lure in new customers and take on other carriers, a month ago, it seems as though it is taking its cues from T-Mobile. The Uncarrier had also announced a special iPhone plan that would allow customers to upgrade their iPhone for free with $15 monthly handset repayments [Source : Techradar]

Google Hangouts Gets Its Own Site, Just Like Facebook Messenger

Everyone wants to be free and standalone. Remember when Facebook Messenger got its own site that maybe people use but we’re not sure because they don’t talk about it? Google Hangouts wanted some of that action, too. Starting today you can go to Google Hangouts to make a phone call or ping a friend.

Interestingly enough, the product hasn’t broken away from the Google domain yet. It doesn’t even own Hangouts.com. Domain names aren’t a strong suit of Google.

Yes, this is also part of the breaking away that Google+ services are going through, joining the Photos product in all of its “standalone” glory. I use Hangouts in Gmail on the desktop, but I might switch over. Having a big old call button is actually kind of handy.

This is also, of course, a massive branding exercise for Google. It wants to build powerful brands to compete with other micro-products coming out of Facebook, Microsoft and Snapchat. Google has Photos and Hangouts, Facebook has Instagram and Messenger and Snapchat is coming on strong with Stories [Source : TechCrunch].

Google Delays its Modular Smartphone Until 2016

Google's modular smartphone project has been delayed. In a series of tweets Monday, the company confirmed the initial market pilot for Project Ara, which was slated to begin in Puerto Rico later this year, will instead be delayed until 2016.

Project Ara began in Google's secretive Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group. The aim is to create an Android-based smartphone platform where nearly every piece of hardware, including the battery, processor and camera, is a separate piece of the handset that can be replaced or customized without upgrading to a completely new device.

Google said the latest plan is to bring its modular smartphones to a "few locations" in the mainland United States for the initial rollout, but did not elaborate on the cause of the delay or the change of location. a spokesperson for Project Ara confirmed the delay to Mashable, but declined to provide additional details around the updated timeline.

The news comes less than a week after the company confirmed it would "re-route" the planned Puerto Rico pilot to a new location, though the company promised the modular smartphones would eventually make its way to the U.S. territory. Google previously said it chose Puerto Rico as a test ground for the experimental phones due to the island's "incredibly diverse" population, which is divided almost equally between smartphone users and more basic feature phone users.

The company had planned to make handsets available through the territory's two largest carriers, with a variety of devices sold via food truck-like storefronts. It's not yet clear how or where Google plans to distribute Project Ara devices during the mainland U.S rollout, but the company says more details about the changes will be coming soon [Source : Mashables].

BlackBerry Deleted A Tweet That it Accidentally Sent From an iPhone

Someone on BlackBerry's social media team just made an embarrassing mistake. A tweet from the company's Twitter account on Tuesday included a small detail at the bottom of the screenshot, revealing it was sent via iPhone. Clearly, even some BlackBerry employees use Apple products.

The tweet, which was first spotted and screenshotted by The Verge, has since been deleted.

This isn't the first time that a BlackBerry representative accidentally gave the iPhone an inadvertent stamp of approval. Alicia Keys, who was once BlackBerry's "Global Creative Director," ignited a mild social media scandal in 2013 when she tweeted from an iPhone instead of a BlackBerry.

Hours later, Keys dubiously blamed the situation on being hacked. She is no longer working with the company. The smartphone manufacturer, which has floundered in recent years amid stiff competition (mostly notably, Apple), is in the throes of an attempted comeback. It recently launched a throwback device called the BlackBerry Classic, tried to catch eyes with "unconventional" devices and even has a hand in the development of a self-destructing phone [Mashable].

Neymar: Playing Alongside Lionel Messi Has Made me Better

Barcelona forward Neymar claims playing alongside Lionel Messi has helped improve as a footballer. Brazilian Neymar has claimed 22 goals in all competitions this season, already nine more than his total haul last term. Barca’s new attacking triumvirate of Neymar, Messi and Luis Suarez is really starting to show signs of promise, the trio scoring combined 59 goals for the club in all competitions so far.

They may play for rival South American countries but Neymar admitted to idolising the Argentine, admitting playing alongside Messi has enhanced his own game. “When you play next to Messi, everything is going to be easy, because I am playing with one of my idols,” he said. “It’s very easy to play with Messi. It’s very easy to play with a big star like him.”

Speaking in Doha yesterday at the launch of a second TV advert celebrating the partnership between Barcelona and principal shirt sponsors Qatar Airways, Neymar also revealed he doesn’t feel any stress playing for the Blaugrana or Brazil. Neymar is idolised in his homeland and an entire nation pinned their hopes of World Cup glory on the young frontman’s shoulders when it hosted the 2014 tournament.

Despite the expectations, and playing for one of the biggest club sides in the world, Neymar says he feels no pressure when he steps onto the field. “There is no stress, any kind of stress playing for either Barcelona or the Brazilian national team,” he said. “It’s an honour and I’m very proud to play for both of the teams.”

Neymar appeared alongside Gerard Pique at the Four Seasons hotel in Doha as the airline jointly revealed an exclusive 60-second preview of the new commercial which will air worldwide from next week. In the ad, Neymar, Pique, Messi, Suarez and Andres Iniesta visit a number of destinations within the airline’s global network, including the Maldives, Dallas, Paris and Seoul [Sport 360].

MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo tops Thursday timesheets in Sepang

Jorge Lorenzo set the pace on the second day of MotoGP testing at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit on Thursday. The Spaniard clocked a best time of one minute 59.963 seconds on his Yamaha in sizzling temperatures.

The 27-year-old had ended the opening day of the test with the third fastest time behind Honda's world champion Marc Marquez and his Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi. Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso clocked the second fastest time in Thursday's session, 0.052 seconds off Lorenzo’s pace.

Marquez was third on the timesheets with a time of two minutes 0.146 seconds. Honda's Dani Pedrosa was 0.297 seconds behind Lorenzo in fourth with Rossi, 35, sixth fastest, 0.713 seconds down.

The testing session, which consists of 28 riders, ends on Friday, but they will return to Sepang for another three-day session from February 24. The new season officially kicks off in Qatar on March 29, while Malaysia will host the penultimate leg of the championship on October 25 [Sky Sports].

Kobe Bryant Has Surgery, Expected to be Out for 9 months

Kobe Bryant's season is officially over after having surgery to repair his torn right rotator cuff today. The Los Angeles Lakers also made it official that their superstar doesn't believe his career is finished. Bryant is expected to need nine months to recover from his third straight season-ending injury. If Bryant meets that timetable, he could return to basketball shortly before the start of the 2015-16 season - and the Lakers expect to see him in purple and gold again. Neal ElAttrache and Steve Lombardo performed the two-hour surgery at the Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles.

"I expect Kobe to make a full recovery, and if all goes as expected, he should be ready for the start of the season," ElAttrache said in a statement provided by the Lakers. The Lakers formally declared Bryant out for the year by acknowledging the expected recovery time from his injury, but also effectively confirmed he won't retire and will attempt to play his 20th season in the fall. Bryant, who will be 37 years old this summer, is the NBA's highest-paid player at $23.5 million this season, and he is under contract for $25 million next year. "In my mind right now, he's coming back next year, unless he tells me something different," coach Byron Scott said at practice Wednesday.

Scott already had acknowledged Bryant was highly unlikely to play again this season for the flailing Lakers (12-34), who will match their franchise record for futility if they lose their 10th consecutive game when the Chicago Bulls visit Thursday. But if Los Angeles finishes with a top-five draft pick, the club won't have to give its first-round choice to Phoenix until next year to complete its brutal trade for Steve Nash in 2012.

Bryant hurt his right shoulder while dunking last week in New Orleans, deciding on surgery shortly afterward. He is the third-leading scorer in league history and a five-time NBA champion. Bryant averaged 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 35 games, but made a career-worst 37.3 percent of his shots in a wildly inconsistent 19th season. He also passed Michael Jordan for third place on the NBA's career scoring list, trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone.

Bryant's popularity hasn't waned during his injury-plagued stretch. He was voted to the All-Star game for the 17th time this month, and he is still the Lakers' public face despite his recent prolonged absences from the court. bryant missed the 2013 playoffs after tearing his Achilles tendon late in the regular season, and he played in just six games last season before breaking a bone near his left knee. Although he has played through innumerable injuries in the past, the accumulated wear from nearly two decades in the NBA has caught up to him.

Bryant sat out eight games to rest in the past month, and he played under a strict minutes limit. It wasn't enough to protect him from another major injury. Bryant joins Nash, first-round pick Julius Randle and swingman Xavier Henry with season-ending injuries already for the Lakers [One News].

The Features That Would Actually Improve the iPhone 6

Apple lovers will finally get their hands on the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on Friday, and the reviews have been glowing. But if you preordered one or plan on waiting in massive lines, you should know: There are a few things missing from the new devices.

CollegeHumor took note of the new features, or lack thereof, and made this bittersweet parody expressing how everybody feels about the new phones (you know, the things nobody actually wants to admit).

Apple lovers will finally get their hands on the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on Friday, and the reviews have been glowing. But if you preordered one or plan on waiting in massive lines, you should know: There are a few things missing from the new devices.

CollegeHumor took note of the new features, or lack thereof, and made this bittersweet parody expressing how everybody feels about the new phones [Mashable]

MotoGP Valencia: Valentino Rossi takes first pole since 2010

Valentino Rossi has taken his first MotoGP pole position since 2010, during the final qualifying session of the season at Valencia. The result was especially surprising since the Yamaha star had struggled throughout practice, managing no higher than fifth. But The Doctor pulled pole out of the bag by edging 0.132s ahead of countryman Andrea Iannone Ducati's on his very final lap.

Iannone's performance was also unexpected given his arm injuries last time at Sepang. Dani Pedrosa completed the front row qualifiers on a day when Repsol Honda team-mate and reigning champion Marc Marquez saw hopes of pushing his pole record to 14 end with a fall in the closing minutes.

Marquez still has the chance to become the first ever MotoGP rider to win 13 races in a season on Sunday, when he will start from fifth on the grid, just behind Rossi's team-mate Jorge Lorenzo. Rossi is seeking to defend a twelve point advantage over Lorenzo for second in the world championship.

Pol Espargaro claimed the final place on the second row after getting the better of Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team-mate Bradley Smith. Fellow Englishman Cal Crutchlow will start his last race for Ducati from eighth after outpacing GP14.2 team-mate Andrea Dovizioso. Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda), Aleix Espargaro (Forward Yamaha) and wild-card Michele Pirro (Ducati) rounded out the Q2 riders.

Suzuki will start its first grand prix since 2011 from 20th on the grid with wild-card Randy de Puniet, who suffered a second technical problem in final practice. The other new machine on track - a 2015-spec Honda RC213V-RS for Hiroshi Aoyama - starts 18th after also not progressing beyond Qualifying 1 [Crash].