Andrew Orr and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to talk about whether or not Apple Watch will ever get Android phone support or become a stand alone device. They also have some tips for managing Notification in iOS 12 and watchOS 5.
Amazon Unveiling New Hardware at Surprise Event Today
Amazon is hosting a surprise media event 1 PM eastern time on Thursday to announce new hardware products. The company isn’t saying what it’ll introduce, but it’s a safe bet the Echo is involved. Along with new smart speakers and a rumored Echo subwoofer, we may see some other gear outside the smart speaker space. The Verge says,
Amazon could be shifting focus toward Alexa in general, with plans to unveil up to eight smart home devices this year. Rumored products range from a voice-controlled in-car accessory to a smart microwave oven. The latter is particularly interesting given Amazon recently began offering Blue Apron-style meal kits, both online and at its Amazon Go cashier-less outposts. The smart oven, if confirmed, could potentially be tied to Whole Foods as well.
So maybe you’ll be talking to your microwave oven soon, or at least sharing more of your cooking habits with Amazon.
Astronomers Discover a Star Trek Vulcan-like Planet
«The Dharma Planet Survey, in a new study led by University of Florida (UF) astronomer Jian Ge and team including Tennessee State University (TSU) astronomers Matthew Muterspaugh and Gregory Henry, has shown that science fiction may be a little less so; the Dharma project has discovered what may be Star Trek’s famed planet Vulcan.» Or something close to it. Concept image via UF.
Memoji Fun, Siri Shortcuts and Suggestions, Password Ease - ACM 480
In this episode, Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet talk about the fun they’re having with Memoji in iOS 12. They also talk about Siri Shortcuts and Siri Suggestions, and just how cool it is that iOS 12 can integrate y our password manager at the system level.
Newegg Breach Resulted in loss of Credit Card Data
A recent Newegg breach lasted a whole month, and hackers stole customer credit card information.
Hackers injected 15 lines of card skimming code on the online retailer’s payments page which remained for more than a month between August 14 and September 18, Yonathan Klijnsma, a threat researcher at RiskIQ, told TechCrunch. The code siphoned off credit card data from unsuspecting customers to a server controlled by the hackers with a similar domain name — likely to avoid detection. The server even used an HTTPS certificate to blend in.
For the past couple of years I’ve used a service called Privacy.com. It connects to my bank account and I can create near-unlimited virtual cards to use with various places. And no this isn’t an ad, I just think it’s a great service. It’s basically a password manager for your money.
Turn Off Notifications Young Lady. Don't Make Me Count to Three
Turn off notifications. Just do it. They create unnecessary stress and some apps use notifications to whine that you’re not using it 24/7. Especially Facebook.
As our attention is increasingly fragmented and split among dozens of apps, the apps have compensated by getting more demanding of your time. Notifications are no longer used to notify you of anything—they’re used by apps to scream over each other in hopes that you’ll click them.
Our phones don’t control us. In fact it’s the other way around.
Apple Uses Your Phone Calls and Emails for a Device Trust Score
Apple updated its iTunes Store terms and privacy disclosures. Included is how the company computes a device trust score to prevent fraud.
To help identify and prevent fraud, information about how you use your device, including the approximate number of phone calls or emails you send and receive, will be used to compute a device trust score when you attempt a purchase. The submissions are designed so Apple cannot learn the real values on your device. The scores are stored for a fixed time on our servers.
They aren’t full records, rather «abstracted.» It’s not like Apple is going to abuse this information, but at first glance it does seem a bit unusual. Especially for devices like Apple TVs that don’t have email or phone capabilities.
Apple Watch in Our Culture, iOS 12 Shortcuts - TMO Daily Observations 2018-09-19
John Martellaro and Kelly Guimont join Jeff Gamet to look at how Apple Watch is becoming part of our culture, plus they share their thoughts on iOS 12’s Shortcuts feature.
Check Out the First Captain Marvel Trailer
Marvel Studios has been hard at work on its newest super hero movie, Captain Marvel, and the first trailer looks pretty awesome. Captain Marvel, played by Brie Larson, is an interplanetary soldier trying to protect Earth from an alien invasion. We get to see Captain Marvel, Nick Fury and Agent Colson, the Skrulls who can shape-shift to look like anyone, plus lots of action. Captain Marvel is scheduled for release on March 8th, 2019.
Pagico 8 Task Manager for Mac: $19
We have a deal for you on Pagico, a one-stop app that helps turn all of your tasks, notes, and projects into beautiful interactive flowcharts. There’s more info in the deal listing, and you can get this app through us for $19.
