We have a deal on the GameBud, a retro-inspired handheld gaming device with 400 pre-loaded classic 8-bit games. You can play up to three hours on a single charge, and you can play games on your own TV via the TV-out port and included AV cable. The GameBud if $29.99 through our deal.
Apple Releases List of iCloud Contributors
Apple has released a list of the third-party software that it has used to make and run iCloud.
The software itself ranges from fonts used in the service to functions such as Javascript libraries, including Google’s Closure Library and the jQuery Foundation’s separate one. While Apple does not disclose which precise elements it uses from these libraries, Google’s one is intended for functions ranging from animation and user interface controls to server communication and text editing.
Tech Leaders Are Not Listening to Tim Cook
In her latest New York Times column, Kara Swisher reflects on last week’s Code conference. She says tech leaders had not taken on-board Tim Cook’s call that they take responsibility for the chaos their products cause.
Consider a wide-ranging interview I did during the Code conference last week with Andy Jassy, the sharp chief executive of Amazon Web Services, who defended his company’s facial recognition software. The program is called Rekognition — perhaps one of the creepiest names you could give surveillance software — and can match photos and videos with databases. It has been sold to businesses and law enforcement agencies, and its capabilities scare many, given questions of how and where it is deployed. Some critics, for example, are concerned that Immigration and Customs Enforcement may be using Rekognition to help deport immigrants, but Mr. Jassy would not comment on whether that agency uses the program or not.
Qualcomm Uses Apple Documents in FTC Case
Remember when Apple and Qualcomm were at each other’s throats? Well, they aren’t anymore, but their legal battle has ongoing ramifications. 9to5 Mac reported that the chipmaker used internal Apple documents in its current case with the Federal Trade Commission.
Included in those documents were slides from an internal Apple presentation in which Apple outlined ways to pressure and “hurt” Qualcomm… Qualcomm had originally used the documents during its Apple legal battle with Apple earlier this year. Apple and Qualcomm came to a surprise settlement in that case, but the chipmaker continues to fight the antitrust ruling handed down by Judge Koh last month.
Steve Jobs and Emotional Intelligence
Steve Jobs’s style of management was a hot topic both during his life and remained so after his death. An interesting article on Thrive Global from earlier this month wondered whether or not the Apple founder emotional intelligence.
He certainly found a way to motivate and inspire many of those he worked with, along with millions of consumers around the globe–even across language and cultural barriers. These are all signs of exceptional social awareness, as well as the ability to influence, which is a key aspect of relationship management. But what about Jobs’s communication style, which angered and frustrated many? He had become known for wild emotional swings and was perceived as arrogant and narcissistic. His manner pained many–including his family and others with whom he was close. Jobs himself blamed this on a lack of self-control. When his biographer Walter Isaacson asked him why he was sometimes so mean, Jobs replied: “This is who I am, and you can’t expect me to be someone I’m not.»
Facebook Marketing Agency xSocialMedia Leaks Medical Data
xSocialMedia, a marketing agency on Facebook that runs campaigns for medical malpractice lawsuits, has leaked medical and other data for about 150,000 people.
vpnMentor notes that xSocialMedia might not be subject to HIPAA compliance because patients are free to disclose their health information to the parties of their choice – in this case, by inputting it into a form on one of the advertising firm’s sites.
vpnMentor says it discovered the leak on 2 June. xSocialMedia responded on 11 June and closed the database up on the same day.
What a nice bit of information to wake up to.
A 'Smart' Light Bulb Turns Out to be Ridiculous
Gizmodo writes:
…if you really want a reminder of just how dumb everything is in 2019, check out this video from GE, which recently went viral on Twitter. GE even had the audacity to call it a “smart” light bulb.
A video from GE demonstrates some really bad design decisions. Really bad.
TV+ Cornered, Apple's Tariff Stance – TMO Daily Observations 2019-06-20
Charlotte Henry and John Martellaro join host Kelly Guimont to talk about how Disney+ has cornered TV+, and about Apple’s tariff stance.
Swift Creator Chris Lattner Does Podcast Interview
Chris Lattner, creator of Apple’s Swift programming language, does a podcast interview with John Sundell.
Chris Lattner, creator of Swift, joins John on this 50th episode of the show — to discuss the current state of Swift and how it came to be, as well as to speculate about what the future of the language and its ecosystem might look like.
Mondly Lifetime Subscription Price Drop to $59.99
We have a deal on a lifetime subscription to Mondly, the language-learning platform. Mondly uses speech recognition and only gives positive feedback if you speak clearly and correctly. You can choose 5 of 33 languages to learn in your own native tongue. Stack Commerce has negotiated a price drop down to $59.99 for TMO readers (and listeners!).









