Charter Communications is on the verge of buying out rival Time Warner Cable in a cash-and-stock deal worth approximately $55.1 billion, a report said on Monday.

Source: Apple Insider

The next-generation iPhone will reportedly sport a camera with a 12-megapixel Sony sensor that makes use of the firm’s RGBW technology to help with low-light photography.

Source: Apple Insider

Microsoft is rumored to be talking with investment firms about the prospect of buying out Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry, likely motivated by a desire to deepen its foray into the mobile enterprise and gain access to BlackBerry’s patent trove.

Source: Apple Insider

Even staunch Apple Watch detractors have to admire the technology Apple managed to pack into its first wearable platform. As Apple’s “most personal device ever,” Watch boasts multiple advancements to the user interface, two of which — Force Touch and UI concepts invented alongside the Digital Crown — we’d like to see in future iPhones and iPads.

Source: Apple Insider

The Obama administration has decided not to ask a secret court for a 90-day extension of Section 215 in the Patriot Act, effectively putting end to the authorized bulk collection of U.S. phone metadata by the National Security Agency.

Source: Apple Insider

Apple frequently introduces new technologies and features in a singular new product, then gradually brings them to other devices in its ecosystem, making for a more coherent user experience. With the recent launch of the Apple Watch, the company has begun offering smarter and more contextually aware locations –?something we’d like to see on the rest of the company’s platforms.

Source: Apple Insider

An increasing number of consumers and businesspeople are turning to portable Bluetooth keyboards to increase the productivity potential of their iPad. AppleInsider took a look at one of the latest contenders, CaseStudi’s Libre.

Source: Apple Insider

Apple has gobbled up mapping market share on iOS (and the Mac) since introducing its own alternative to Google Maps back in 2012, despite lacking a variety of key features. Hints at how Apple Maps may soon improve are coming from a seemingly unlikely source: China.

Source: Apple Insider

Perhaps the most significant Apple-related event this week was the launch of a refreshed 15-inch MacBook Pro, but the company also released its first firmware update for the Apple Watch, and saw its takeover of GPS firm Coherent Navigation made public.

Source: Apple Insider

As part of ongoing upgrades to its in-house mapping service, Apple on Friday added a handful of entries to its rolling list of providers that supply the company with maps data, business listings and satellite imagery.

Source: Apple Insider