On Sunday at the SXSW Innovation Awards Finalist Showcase, Wi-Charge was showing off their infrared-based wireless power technology. They’re not the only company aiming to deliver wireless power to our devices, but they are the first we’ve seen to use infrared (IR) to do it. Using IR comes with a couple of advantages: power doesn’t degrade over distance, a thin beam can be aimed at the device to ensure full power, and IR is something we’ve found to be extremely safe. Of course, the major downside to using IR is that it only delivers over line-of-sight. Their demo at SXSW was delivering a full 1 watt of usable power, but they say their tech could eventually deliver “several watts” of power up to 15 feet away. Wi-Charge was demoing their tech with LED strip lights, an electric train, and a custom-case for an Amazon Echo Dot, all of which could be powered from an overhead IR transmitter. For your IoT devices or even your phone at your desk, this could someday offer a ton of convenience. Wi-Charge is seeking integration partners to help bring their tech to market.
Manage Complicated Projects and Tight Deadlines with Aeon Timeline 2: $14.99
Check out today’s deal on Aeon Timeline 2. I personally love this software. It’s a timeline app for Mac or Windows that allows you to track and/or plot timelines. I like it for managing story lines when I’m working on fiction, but it’s designed to use for a large variety of projects—anything that involves time. It’s very cool, and you can get it through our deal for $14.99 using coupon code DOWNLOADIT at checkout.
International Women's Day, Apple Style – TMO Daily Observations 2019-03-08
Charlotte Henry joins host Kelly Guimont to discuss Apple’s International Women’s Day events as well as macOS and iOS tools for creation.
Now You Can Build a Nintendo Labo VR Headset
You can now build a Nintendo Labo VR headset, the company announced recently. It will go on sale April 12.
Be Sure to Properly Remove Data from Devices
David Nield implores us to make sure we properly remove data from our devices before we get rid of them.
Your personal data—be it financial spreadsheets or web searches—is not something you want to be leaving behind for other people to find, and totally wiping your activity off devices or the web takes a few more steps than you might have realized. Don’t worry though, as we’re going to walk you through the process.
Senator Elizabeth Warren Wants to Break up Big Tech
In a plan to break up ‘Big Tech’ Senator Elizabeth Warren wants to break up tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Facebook.
Verifications.io Leaked 809 Million Records
An email marketing company called Verifications.io—which has been taken offline—exposed 809 million records in a database.
In general, the 809 million total records in the Verifications.io trove include standard information like names, email addresses, phone numbers, and physical addresses. But many also include things like gender, date of birth, personal mortgage amount, interest rate, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram accounts associated with email addresses, and characterizations of people’s credit scores (like average, above average, and so on).
As always, use the tool HaveIBeenPwned.com to see if your email was included in a data breach.
Facebook Coin is Already the Butt of Jokes
Facebook is rumored to launch its own cryptocurrency called Facebook Coin, and it’s already a laughingstock with cryptocurrency experts.
Silicon Valley Workers Look to Improve Conditions for Contractors
The treatment of contractors was a key issue raised by the recent Google walkout, and by workers and other Silicon Valley firms. Apple itself has been criticized for how non-permanent staff are treated. Now, some workers at Facebook are getting organized. FastCompany reported that they have started a group called Workers for Workers, and are surveying permanent and contractor colleagues about their working conditions.
The fight for solidarity may now be spreading to Facebook, with the launch this week of a group called Workers for Workers. Its website features anonymous stories by Facebook contractors, known as “contingent workers.” The first (and thus far only) post, by someone called “Alice,” states: “The number one thing I’m worried about right now is being stuck in these kinds of contracting roles forever. Never making more than $25 an hour, and being a permanent contractor . . . ”
Apple AR Headset Set for 2020, According to Top Analyst
Apple’s forthcoming AR headset is set to be released 2020, according to high-profile Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. He added that manufacturing will beging by the end of 2019, according to AppleInsider. Significantly, it looks like your iPhone is going to most of the hard work, while the glasses act as a display.
Kuo claims the first generation of Apple’s AR glasses will only act as a display, with a nearby iPhone performing all of the processing, including rendering scenes, providing a data connection, and location-based services like GPS. It is unclear if the accessory would be connected by a cable or take the wireless route and use Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or another similar technology for close-range communications.
