Blue Microphones shipped Satellite, wireless, over-the-ear headphones with a built-in analog amplifier. Satellite was announced at CES, where I was more focused on the wired Sadie and Ella models also introduced. Satellite is the company’s entry into premium wireless headphones, and they feature Bluetooth 4.1. They’re also foldable and support the Apt-X audio codec. Apple isn’t currently supporting Apt-X, but some Android devices do. I haven’t tested Satellite, but I’m a big fan of Blue’s other high-end over-the-ear headphones. Jeff Butts will be reviewing these for us, and I look forward to hearing what he thinks. Satellite is available now for $399.95.
Amazon's Echo Show, FBI's iPhone Hack Price Tag - TMO Daily Observations 2017-05-09
Amazon unveiled its Echo Show, and it has a display. Bryan Chaffin and the Maccast’s Adam Christianson join Jeff Gamet to share their reactions to Amazon’s newest Alexa device. They also have some thoughts on the unintended confirmation that the FBI paid $900,000 for the San Bernardino iPhone hack, plus Bryan coins “I’m gonna up that up.”
Amazon Unveils Echo Show with Display and Video Camera
The biggest un-surprise of the day comes from Amazon and its just announced Echo Show. The well-leaked new Echo model includes a built-in display and camera so you can get visual responses to your Alexa queries and make video calls, too.
FBI Paid $900K for San Bernardino iPhone Hack
The FBI refused to ever share how much it paid for the hack into San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook’s iPhone, but thanks to Senator Diane Feinstein we now know the price was US$900,000. The Senator accidentally spilled the beans during a Judiciary Committee meeting on accessing encrypted data on smartphones and personal computers.
The Mac PDF Processing Bundle: $29.99
We have a deal on the Mac PDF Processing Bundle, four apps for producing and editing PDF files. It includes PDFConverter, PDF Creator, PDFPasswordRemover, and PDFCompressor. The bundle is $29.99 through us.
John Oliver Makes It Easier to Comment on FCC Effort to Gut Net Neutrality
The FCC under Chairman Ajit Pai did its best to bury the mechanism for publicly commenting on the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s efforts to gut net neutrality. Fortunately, comedian and Last Week Tonight host John Oliver made it easy.
Satellite TV Will Be Gone Soon, and Apple Might Be Ready to Step In
In the 1980s, some people had 3 meter steerable satellite dishes and could freely access raw network feeds from geosynchronous satellites. Then the networks encrypted everything, and we migrated to smaller dishes and monthly service from Dish and DirecTV. But that’s just one-way TV, and it may be gone soon. The Next Big Thing could well be low-latency, full internet access with TCP/IP via low-earth-orbit satellites. Particle Debris page two points to several articles that cover the emerging story.
Phil Schiller Says Siri-like Voice Assistants Need Displays
If Apple really is making an Amazon Echo competitor, what does their Siri speaker appliance really need? According to Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller, it needs a screen.
TMO Background Mode Interview with Science Writer and Editor Jennifer Ouellette
Jennifer Ouellette is a freelance science writer, editor and book author. Her work has appeared in Physics World, Discover, New Scientist, Physics Today, Salon and Nature. In 2010, she published the book “The Calculus Diaries: How Math Can Help You Lose Weight, Win in Vegas, and Survive a Zombie Apocalypse.” With a degree in English literature, Jennifer didn’t start out intending to be a science writer. But thanks to serendipity, she landed her first job with the American Physical Society who discovered she could write really well. The thinking was that it would be easier to teach her physics than teach physicists how to write! It opened her eyes to the field. So how does one become a famous science writer? Jennifer tells a great story.
Watch the Blade Runner 2049 Trailer with Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling
Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner 2049 has an official trailer, and it’s out now (thanks to Rick Allen for the heads up). The movie takes place 30 years after the the events in the original Blade Runner (which came out 37 years ago, for those keeping score at home). Harrison Ford reprises his role as Rick Deckard, but the star of the film is Ryan Gosling as LAPD Officer K. The trailer hints at a very dark film that emphasizes deteriorating conditions on Earth. That theme was central to the the Philip K. Dick novel (Amazon, iBooks) Blade Runner was based on, but it was largely absent from that movie. And all that said, this new trailer looks amazing! Blade Runner 2049 is scheduled for release on October 6th, 2017.
