This week, how you can turn those Live Photos into animated GIFs, research into what TV shows people binge on versus those they savour, and the Moto Z modular smartphone. But first, some of the announcements from Apple’s big software conference last week.

The big news from Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference

Last week while I was in L.A. covering E3, Apple was hosting software devopers in San Francisco at the annual WWDC. Whlle Apple has sometimes announced new devices at WWDC, really the conference is about software.

Here are some of the things announced:

• iOS 10 will bring 3-D Touch-enabled notifications and Digital Touch to your iPhone. The latter lets you annotate photos and videos by sketching on them.
• You will be able to uninstall from your iOS device the “Stocks” app that you never use. Or any of the others that Apple has, until now, forced you to keep on your device.
• OS X is being renamed macOS, and the next version, coming this fall, will be called Sierra. One thing Sierra will bring to Macbooks and iMacs is that if you have an Apple Watch, it can unlock your computer when you get close.
• Siri is getting better on your iPhone and iPad, and is coming to your desktop, too.
• Apple’s Messages app is getting big improvements across the board (including embedded link previews and video) and is being opened up so developers can come up with other ways to make it better.
• Apple Pay is going to work in your browser, which is sure to give PayPal a run for their money. (This feature may be slower in coming to Canada.)
• Apple Music is being redesigned across the board.
• Apple’s Photos app is being updated. Which might make it usable again.
• In an effort to give everyone a chance to learn how to code, Apple is going to release Swift Playgrounds for free this fall. The app, which is being developed for iPads running iOS 10, will help people learn to code with the Swift programming language.

How to turn Apple’s Live Photos into animated GIFs

One of the coolest things that came to Apple’s iPhone 6S and 6S+ was Live Photos, which turns your pictures into moving snapshots that really capture the moment.

Well, now you can easily turn your Live Photos into animated GIFs so they can be seen on other platforms, not just iOS devices.

Google has created an iOS app called Motion Stills that can even stabilize those Live Photos that may have been created while you were in motion.

It’s a free app, and it means that you can share the experience of a Live Photo to anyone, anywhere, on any device.

When you watch TV series, do you binge or savour?

Netflix disrupted television in a couple of different ways. One was by making its programming available over the Internet, instead of over traditional broadcast airwaves.

Another was by releasing an entire season of a show at the same time, instead of dribbling episodes out week after week.

It’s something that may be one of the secrets to the company’s success, actually.

Which is one reason Netflix has done research to identify exactly what kinds of shows people binge watch.

What they discovered, in analyzing the viewing habits of viewers in 190 countries, is that shows that evoke strong emotional responses and have high-concept stories are those that tend to be watched in quick succession, while those that are more cerebral, complex, and dense are watched over time.

So while people binge watch shows like The Fall and Orange is the New Black, programs like House of Cards and BoJack Horseman are savoured,

Motorola gets in on the modular smartphone game

The new Moto Z smartphone from Motorola is completely customizable to your needs.

Want to listen to music? Get the JBL speaker mod.

Need to show a report to clients? That’s where the projector mod comes in.

These are only the first two modular attachments announced for the Moto Z.

They connect to the handset with magnets which grip onto the aircraft-grade aluminum and stainless steel chassis.

It’s also equipped with the other features expected of all high-end smartphones, including front- and rear-facing cameras, a microSD card slot, a fingerprint reader.

Lenovo is also encouraging others to share their ideas for other Moto Mods. The best ideas will be supported by the company’s Lenovo Capital and Incubator Group, which has set aside US$1 million in equity funding “for the individual or company that creates the best Moto Mods prototype by March 31, 2017.”