If you’re the family tech support person you’ll want these mobile device management (MDM) tools to help you manage family devices.
Arduino Uno Ultimate Starter Kit and Course Bundle: $44.19
We have a deal on the Vilros Uno Ultimate Starter Kit and course bundle. In addition to the starter kit (board, components, and more), you also get 11 hours of training content with hundreds of lectures. This deal is $51.99 through us, but coupon code MERRY15 at checkout brings it down to $44.19.
WireGuard VPN now Available on iOS
WireGuard, the supposedly faster and more secure VPN protocol, is now available for free on iOS devices via the App Store.
Apple Exec Dan Riccio Dismissed Bent iPad Pro Criticism
In a leaked email, Apple exec Dan Riccio hit back at complaints that a number of 2018 iPad Pros arrived with customers bent.
Phone Repair Employees Accused of Stealing Nudes
Phone repair employees from Flint Audio Studio in Middletown, Rhode Island have been accused of stealing nudes from customers’ smartphones.
An RI State Police investigation has found that 13 women between the ages of 22 and 47 never gave anyone from Flint permission to go through their “media files, make copies and later disseminate them.” Nonetheless, the women allege that store employees stole and shared their nude images and videos.
My first thought was about the apps I’ve reviewed specifically for hiding nudes. But instead I’ll comment that you shouldn’t need to go out of your way to hide nudes. People shouldn’t be rooting around in your camera roll in the first place. Although I do think it would be great if Apple let us lock/hide entire albums.
U.S. Government had 4,570 Device Requests for Apple in 2018
Apple has redesigned its transparency website to make it easier to understand the number of government device requests the company receives.
Alexa Experiment Caused Some Really Creepy Things to Happen
In 2016, Amazon launched an annual prize for computer science students, with the aim of improving Alexa’s conversational abilities. Users can say “let’s chat” and participate in the experiment. However, while there have been improvements to Alexa, Reuters learned that the experiment produced some very dark moments too.
But Alexa’s gaffes are alienating others, and Bezos on occasion has ordered staff to shut down a bot, three people familiar with the matter said. The user who was told to whack his foster parents wrote a harsh review on Amazon’s website, calling the situation “a whole new level of creepy.” A probe into the incident found the bot had quoted a post without context from Reddit, the social news aggregation site, according to the people.
Should Apple Remove WhatsApp For Child Porn?
It seems that WhatsApp, a Facebook-owned messaging app, has had a problem with users sharing child porn. Apple removed Tumblr from the App Store because people were sharing CP on its platform. Should Apple remove WhatsApp as well?
A report from two Israeli NGOs reviewed by TechCrunch details how third-party apps for discovering WhatsApp groups include “Adult” sections that offer invite links to join rings of users trading images of child exploitation.
Policing WhatsApp is more difficult than Tumblr due to the former’s use of encryption. But it seems that these abusive chat groups had child porn in the group name itself, so they aren’t exactly sneaking around. Maybe Apple needs to give WhatsApp a time out.
Rumours of Fifth-Generation iPad Mini Reported in China
The China Business Times reported that there will be two low-priced iPad models launched in 2019. AppleInsider picked up on the speculation. It reported that a new, low cost, 7.9 inch iPad will be released in the first of half the year. This all seems entirely possible. After all, the iPad Mini has not been updated since September 2015. But before users get too excited, the report also pointed out that “while the China Business Times has a good track record with supply chain information, like the iPad display panel topic, it has a poor track record in predicting Apple’s future product plans.”
China Business Times sources claim Apple will be launching two low-priced models of the iPad in 2019. It is alleged Apple is doing so because it saw “outstanding results” for the 2017 9.7-inch iPad followed by a sales decline, allegedly due to it not releasing a “new low-priced iPad” in 2018, though the launch of the 2018 iPad in March suggests this means the fiscal 2018 rather than calendar year.
Inside the fall of Uber founder Travis Kalanick
The fall of Uber’s founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick was nearly as dramatic as his company’s rise. Mr. Kalanick quit as CEO in June, after a prolonged period of scandal. He tried to negotiate a graceful exit but, as Bloomberg Businessweek detailed, in the end, it was a typically chaotic departure.
Then, contrition period over, [Mr. Kalanick] got up, called a board member, demanded a new PR strategy, and embarked on a yearlong starring role as the villain who gets his comeuppance in the most gripping startup drama since the dot-com bubble. It’s a story that, until now, has never been fully told.
