Amazon is having 12 days of product deals, and today’s deal is Netgear mesh Wi-Fi wall plugs. It creates a mesh Wi-Fi network that blankets your home in super fast, seamless Wi-Fi — room to room, wall to wall, floor to floor. Replaces your old router, works with your modem and internet service provider. Featuring a slim profile these wall-plug satellites make it super easy to extend your Wi-Fi to any room with a standard electrical outlet, just plug it in and stream with speed. They’re up to 123% faster than the leading brands, as certified by an independent study, makes Orbi the highest performance mesh Wi-Fi system on the market. They also eliminate Wi-Fi dead zones and buffering — 5,000 square feet of consistent coverage — at speeds up to 2.2 Gbps (gigabytes per second). You’ll get simple setup with the Orbi app — create guest network, access parental controls, and run speed tests right from the app. Amazon: US$199 (Regular price US$299)
Google Maps For You Features Personalized Recommendations
Today the Google Maps app is being updated with a For You section similar to those found in Apple’s apps. Google Maps For You gives you personalized recommendations.
The For You tab is designed to be a constant source of inspiration tailored to your tastes and preferences. Simply follow neighborhoods or places you’re interested in to get updates and recommendations—everything from recent news about an opening or pop up, a new menu item, and even restaurant suggestions based on what you’re likely to enjoy. If you’re making a trip this holiday season, the For You can help you get a jump start on travel planning even before you take off.
Should Zuckerberg Go, Tumblr Death Spiral, Wall Street and Apple - with Chuck Joiner: ACM 491
Bryan Chaffin is joined by Chuck Joiner from MacVoices to discuss Facebook’s ongoing crisis of blunders and mistakes, and whether or not CEO Mark Zuckerberg should go. They also look at what seems to be Tumblr’s real-time death spiral, and debate whether or not Wall Street is punishing Apple for not reporting iPhone sales and whether or not that’s OK.
Google to Shut Down Messaging App Allo
Google announced that it is shutting down its Allo messaging app. Analyzing the development, Engadget’s Nick Summers noted that Allo «has struggled to coax users away from established messaging apps such as iMessage and Facebook Messenger.» The app will stop working in March 2019.
Google’s new lineup will be simpler, but not necessarily better. There’s a chance, of course, that every carrier and OEM will add RCS support before March 2019, making Messages a viable option. The uptake over the last seven months, however, doesn’t fill me with confidence. If RCS remains a niche, I’ll have to stick with Whatsapp to communicate with most people. Which is a shame, because I liked Allo and believe a semi-popular, Google-run messaging app could be good for the wider industry. It would give Apple and Facebook some much-needed competition in the West, at least.
How T-Mobile's eSIM iPhone App Works
PC Magazine got an exclusive look at T-Mobile’s eSIM app for the iPhone. It allows users to connect to a new prepaid T-Mobile line without the need for a physical sim card. Apple introduced this capability with the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR. A number of carriers are planning to support eSIM but the T-Mobile system was deemed easier than those from its rivals as it is based on an app and does not a QR Code or in-store activation.
T-Mobile is rolling this app out to its staff for training tomorrow and aims to launch it by the end of the year, according to sources close to the development and rollout. For now, it will only support adding prepaid plans to eSIMs; the thinking seems to be that it will be used for inbound roaming and secondary lines, with customers still going into stores and getting physical SIMs activated for primary lines and family plans.
Ultraloq UL3 Bluetooth Fingerprint and Touchscreen Smart Lock: $143.99
We have a deal on the Ultraloq UL3 Bluetooth Fingerprint and Touchscreen Smart Lock. This smart lock allows you to program the lock to use your fingerprint, code, or smartphone to unlock the door. You can assign different users, use your iPhone app to unlock it over Bluetooth, and there’s a mechanical key backup. Our deal is for $168.99, but coupon code SAVEGREEN25 at checkout take $25 off, for a final price of $143.99.
Security Laws and Data Breaches – TMO Daily Observations 2018-12-07
Andrew Orr and Bryan Chaffin join host Kelly Guimont to talk about security laws, data breaches, and robot-led bear spray attacks.
Apple Announces New Beddit Sleep Monitor 3.5
Beddit, a sleep company acquired by Apple, is selling a new 3.5 version of its Beddit Sleep Monitor for US$149.95.
The Beddit Sleep Monitor 3.5 isn’t a radical change from the previous 3.0 version. It’s still a 2mm thin strip that you lay above your mattress and power via USB. It connects to an iPhone app for sending sleep tracking data to the Beddit app and Apple’s Health app (with permission), and it’s still advertised as not requiring a “wearable” like the Apple Watch — although Beddit has an Apple Watch app for tracking naps.
Security Week: Check Out Wired's Guide to Data Breaches
Lily Hay Newman put together a great guide to data breaches. It covers the history of breaches like Equifax, Marriott, Quora, and others.
Think of data breaches as coming in two flavors: breaches of institutions that people choose to entrust with their data—like retailers and banks—and breaches of entities that acquired user data secondarily—like credit bureaus and marketing firms.
Soon Technology Could Have a Trust Label
Backed by the Mozilla Foundation, NYU Law, the University of Dundee, and others, technology could soon get a trust label called Trustable Technology Mark.
Enter the Trustable Technology Mark. It’s like being certified organic, but for the Internet of Things. Supported by the Mozilla Foundation, NYU Law, the University of Dundee, and other institutions, the trustmark–a phrase for a logo that signifies a certification of some kind–aims to recognize companies building connected devices that have stellar data and privacy practices, are transparent and secure, and have some guarantee of longevity.
Hopefully there are rigorous standards that companies need to meet before getting this trust label. Because the aforementioned «certified organic» label is meaningless.
