Evidence suggests Apple stopped loving iBooks. Bryan and Jeff go over that evidence and discuss why Apple should rekindle that love and make iBooks great again. They also take a few minutes to experience some schadenfreude over Samsung’s battery factory fire, and argue that a loss of market share demonstrates Samsung’s lack of software relevance.
Pinterest Visual Search Gets A Tool Called Lens
Today Pinterest rolled out a new visual search tool called Lens. It’s a feature found within the app that uses machine learning to classify real-world objects. Lens suggests items in Pinterest that are related to the object. Pinterest co-founder Evan Sharp demonstrated Lens visual search to detect a pomegranate, and Pinterest showed him pins about pomegranate bread, sandwiches and helpful tips to peel the fruit. Along with Lens, the company introduced Shop the Look, a tool that identifies objects in pins that you can purchase, and gives you a direct link to buy. Right now it’s only available for five brands. Although currently in beta, Lens is sure to help usher in augmented reality.
Apple TV's New Marketing Boss - TMO Daily Observations 2017-02-08
Apple may have some new plans for Apple TV now that they hired away Amazon’s Fire TV boss. Kelly Guimont joins Jeff Gamet to talk about Timothy Twerdahl’s now job as Apple TV’s vice president for product marketing, plus they look at what could be in store for the next Apple TV refresh.
LimeLens Universal Smartphone Camera Lens Set: $39.99
We have a deal for you today on the LimeLens Universal Smartphone Camera Lens Set. It works with iPhones, many Samsung devices, some Sony devices, and even some Chinese Android devices. It includes a dual macro/wide lens that’s 10x macro on one side and 0.67x wide angle on the other. It also has a fisheye lens with a 190° view. The set is $39.99 through our deal.
Renogy: Solar Panel, Hefty Battery, Lots of Ports in a Small Suitcase
This new product caught my eye because its so darn cool. Consider: a replaceable Li-ion 16 amp-hour battery in a nifty suitcase (16 x 12 x 4 inches), 13 lbs, with 2 x 10 watt solar panels built into the lid that can charge it in about six hours. Outputs include 110 volts AC, 2 x 12 volts DC and 4 x USB (6 amps). You can also charge it from your car or AC power. The battery packs enough energy to charge an iPad Air six times, an iPhone 32 times or a small notebook five times (40 W-h). Perfect for the camper, and it’s now available, under $600.00.
Vizio's Spying TVs, UAC iPhone Connectors - TMO Daily Observations 2017-02-07
Vizio just settled an FTC lawsuit for using their smart TVs to spy on customers. Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to talk about Vizio collecting viewing data on users without permission and the settlement with the FTC. They also look at the UAC connector that’s going to let headphones connect to Lightning and USB-C.
![Pay What You Want for the 2017 Superstar Mac Bundle [Updated]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2017-superstar-mac-bundle-deal-2.jpg)
Pay What You Want for the 2017 Superstar Mac Bundle [Updated]
We have a new pay-what-you-want deal for you called the 2017 Superstar Mac Bundle. It includes 12 different apps—you get all of them by beating the average price, which is $12.17 as of this writing. But you can pay anything—as little as a dollar—and get two of the apps, Mac Screen Recorder and NotePlan. Beat the leader’s price and get an entry into a giveaway for a 13″ MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. Check out the details on the deal listing. [Updated with a new promo image. – Editor]
You Can Never Be Too Thin. Unless You’re a MacBook Pro
MacBook Pros have been getting thinner and thinner. From an aesthetic, handling, weight and evolutionary standpoint, thinner is better. However, when does an unhealthy obsession with thinness interfere with great engineering? Is a MacBook Pro that’s too thin get in the way of features, performance and adequate ports? Would two extra millimeters of thickness enhance battery life enough to make the pro customer smile with enthusiasm?  When does the obsession stop? John elaborates on page 2 of Particle Debris.
TMO Background Mode: Interview with with Tech Community Facilitator Jonathan Bernstein
Jonathan Bernstein is an attorney. He’s an Apple product expert. He’s worked for the Federal Election Commission. He’s on the board of directors of the legendary Washington, D.C. Apple Pi Users Group. He’s involved with the Silver Spring, Maryland Citizens Advisory Board where he’s active in facilitating communication between citizens and local government. Oh, my. After Jonathan told me a little bit about his background, being the son of a rabbi father and pediatrician mother, it soon became clear where his roots of public service originated. Out of law school, he clerked for a judge in the U.S. Claims Court, and that eventually connected him to the FEC. We chatted about Jonathan’s unique gift for bringing people together utilizing technology. He’ll inspire you with collaboration methods you never realized were possible.
Here are the Best Super Bowl 2017 Commercials
If you’re only interest in the Super Bowl was the commercials, you don’t have to find a friend who recorded the game just so you can see them. The Super Bowl Commercials website has your back. They have all of the commercials, and they chose what they see as the top 9 ads from the game. Spoiler: car makers nailed it with their ads this year. You can watch all of the ads at the Super Bowl Commercials website.
