Apple's Online Store goes down in anticipation of new product announcements

San Francisco: Apple's Online Store has been taken down in preparation for today's Special Event where new iPhones are expected to be announced (and likely ready for pre-order). Apple is holding an event here in downtown San Francisco today which is expected to be focused on iOS 9 and the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. The size of the venue, plus numerous hints that this will be a 'big' launch event has generated a lot of buzz for other, unexpected revelations.

Apple Watch and watchOS 2.0 OS is expected to make a splash today, while many believe that Apple TV will be getting a big update in terms of hardware, software as well as content services. Other rumours focus on a larger iPad Pro, even if Apple traditionally holds a separate and iPad and Mac-specific October event. Stay tuned for more coverage today from the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.

Twitter for Windows 10 plays catch up

One of the biggest complaints against apps on Microsoft is they don’t get updated as frequently (if at all) as their counterparts on other ecosystems. At least Twitter is trying to bridge that gap now by bringing some of its new features to Windows 10. The Twitter for Windows app now has group messaging, multi-account support, lists, and the Happening Now section. Yes, you can also now quote tweets the same way you do with Twitter’s other apps. It’s not everything yet but it’s a start.

Source: Microsoft | Via: The Verge | Download: Microsoft Store (Free) 

Amazon looks to be putting Fire Phone to rest

Amazon looks like they’re putting the final nail on the coffin of its Fire Phone, the company’s first foray into the smartphone business. They haven’t announced it explicitly but stocks have run out on Amazon’s site and they didn’t indicate when they plan on restocking. The company was previously rumoured to have restricted its Lab126 hardware development division and laid off engineers who were working on the phone. No matter what Amazon did to try and sell the device, everything from cutting down its price to almost giving it away via telco contract. They weren’t to get the phone off the ground.

Source: PCWorld

Apple ‘iPhone 6s’ might come with always-on ‘Hey Siri’ functionality

Just ahead of the Apple Special Event, a source told Apple Insider that the upcoming phone from the company will come with always-on “Hey Siri” activation, much like “OK Google” service on Android. Siri can do that too but it must be connected to a power for voice activation to work. The current iOS 9 beta doesn’t support the unplugged “Hey Siri” feature making us speculate that they integrated it at the hardware level. Some Android phones have a specialized voice activation monitoring chip to support “OK Google” feature without it eating too much battery life. Well, we just have a few more hours to wait before we find out what Apple’s cooking in its kitchen.

Source: Apple Insider