The Mac Observer’s Managing Editor, Jeff Gamet, will be speaking at Denver’s MacinTech Macintosh User Group on Tuesday evening, October 11th, in Centennial, Colorado. Jeff will be diving into iOS 10 for the iPhone and iPad, along with macOS Sierra.
iOS: How to Convince Ducking Autocorrect You Don't Mean Duck
Our iPhones are great at making our lives easier, but sometimes autocorrect just gets it wrong. So ducking wrong, in fact, that it’s really ducking annoying. Turns out there’s a workaround that lets you trick your iPhone or iPad into leaving the word you really typed instead of changing it to “duck.”
Apple AirPods: a Strategy of Ambience and Scarcity
UBS financial analyst Steve Milunovich has presented an interesting theory about Apple’s Ambient strategy: “…different input/output methods that can be flexibly utilized depending on the situation (sitting, walking, running, driving). Collectively these devices offer the capability of earlier products … delivered as a seamless user experience.” In addition, the notion of created and evolving scarcity punctuates the Apple strategy. Apple AirPods: a Strategy of Ambience and Scarcity explains it.
USB Kill: The $55 Gadget That Will Fry Most Devices
There’s a device out there called USB Kill 2.0 that can fry an electronic device with a USB port. While it looks like an every day USB flash drive, rather than memory, these devices have capacitors that can store up juice being transmitted over the USB bus and then discharge at once. The result is a high-voltage attack on your PC, Mac, smartphone, or other device that can fry the electronics.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-10-10: Samsung's Ongoing Note 7 Fire Issues, Robot Sex
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 battery problem isn’t going away and some replacement units are catching on fire, too. Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to discuss Samsung’s burning product failure, plus John schools Jeff on the perils of robot sex.
GeeFi Mobile Hotspot on Kickstarter Provides Unlimited 4G Data in 100 Countries
Check out the GeeFi on Kickstarter. It’s a mobile hotspot its makers say provides unlimited 4G data in 100-plus countries. It will support up to 10 devices at a time, and it does this without you having to change out SIM cards are worry about local contracts. When the device is turned on, it displays a local wireless network with a password. Plug that into your laptop, smartphone, or tablet, and you’re good to go. They also say it provides 150 megabits down and 50 megabits up—for $10 per day. The data plan is separate from the cost of the device. Funding options that get a GeeFi currently start at $120. They’ve already raised $141,000 dollars out of a $20,000 goal, with two weeks to go.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/geefi/geefi-unlimited-4g-wi-fi-everywhere-you-travel
UK Prime Minister Bans Apple Watch from Cabinet Meetings
Wearing your Apple Watch to a UK Cabinet meeting is off the table over concerns Russians are hacking smartwatches to spy on foreign governments. The ban comes from UK Prime Minister Theresa May who is extending the scope of the smartphone ban put in place by her predecessor David Cameron, and most likely has banned other smartwatches, too.
SunVolt Water-Resistant Dual-USB Solar Charger: $19.99
It’s a portable charger that’s water resistant, charges via solar cells, and it has a built-in 5000mAh of reserve battery power. You can charge two devices at once. And we have it for $19.99. Get it.
MGG 626: Lightning Struck my Switches
Quick Tips start this episode, including topics like macOS Sierra’s picture-in-picture videos, auto-logout, Sierra upgrade hints, macerror, cleaning up your Keychain, printing to PDF on any iOS 10 device, Apple Watch battery life and more. Then it’s on to questions about macOS Sierra’s network login changes, running a mixed macOS and OS X household and, finally, a discussion about lightning strikes and how to recover. Enjoy!
Samsung Has to Pay $120M for Apple's Unlock Patent After All
Samsung’s on-again-off-again fine for infringing on Apple’s slide-to-unlock patent is back on again. A U.S. Federal Appeals Court overturned its own ruling on Friday that Samsung didn’t have to pay the fine, so now the smartphone maker owes Apple US$119.6 million for infringing on the unlock and autocorrect-related patents.
