Apple always adds new things to its big operating system upgrades, and sometimes it takes away things, too. When iOS 10 ships this fall it’ll be missing the handgun emoji icon and in its place we’ll get a bright green squirt gun. The change comes as gun-related violence and deaths are on the rise in the United States, and following a public campaign urging Apple to remove the gun emoji.
Facebook Targets Snapchat with Instagram Stories
Watch out, Snapchat. Facebook is taking you on with its new Instagram Stories feature in Instagram. Like Snapchat, Instagram Stories lets you draw on photos and videos then post them where followers can see your impromptu works of art before they disappear 24 hours later.
FBI Still Wants Encryption Compromise Where None is Possible
FBI Director Comey is still searching for a so-called compromise on encryption, even though no such compromise is possible. Mr. Comey wants America to discuss the issue before a terror or criminal event involving encryption makes rational discussion impossible.
The Complete iOS 10 Developer Course: $25
We have a deal for you today on the Complete iOS 10 Developer Course. It features 30 hours of content, including 217 lectures. You’ll learn SiriKit, Messages, Maps—all with new features for developers in iOS 10, as well as an in-depth look at the rest of the operating system. You can get this course through our deal for just $25.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-08-02: FBI Director Comey's New Encryption Debate
FBI Director James Comey says it’s time to restart the debate over whether or not government agencies should have back doors into our encrypted data. John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to look at encryption and what should be kept private and out of the government’s hands. They also dive into how technology may be making people more machine like.
VAVA Voom 20 Portable Bluetooth Speaker, Full Sound & Water Resistant
VAVA’s new Voom 20 is perhaps my new favorite Bluetooth speaker, and that’s saying a lot. It’s the right size – a little taller than a can of soda – and has a full, warm sound that can fill a room or your outdoor deck. With dual 8W drivers, two passive subwoofers, 10 hours of battery life and an IPX5 water rating, this speaker will go anywhere you want to bring it, be that the beach, your hotel room, or the kitchen of your AirBnB. It’s even got speakerphone capabilities as well as a USB port for charging your iPhone from the Voom 20s internal 5200mAh battery. It supports the aptX Bluetooth codec, so if you’re using this with your Mac you can get top-quality Bluetooth sound to it. One note: the volume control on the speaker is set independently of your device’s volume, so be sure to crank up both of them. With a special 25% discount available through August 8, the VAVA Voom 20 can be yours direct from VAVA for $59.99 with coupon code GOVOOM20. That’s less than half of what I’ve found comparable speakers cost.
Judge Tosses Out VirnetX's $625M Patent Infringement Win Against Apple
VirnetX’s big US$625 million patent infringement win against Apple just became a big loss. Federal Appeals Court Judge Robert Schroeder tossed out the judgement and set a retrial saying VirnetX acted inappropriately during the trial and very likely prejudiced the jury.
Apple Launches Surface Pro Spot Starring iPad Pro
Check out Apple’s new iPad Pro commercial, titled “iPad Pro — What’s a Computer?” It’s like a Microsoft Surface Pro spot, with a prettier star, better lighting, better graphics, and better direction. It pitches iPad Pro as a computer, only one you can touch, type on, and write on using a stylus. It features iPad Pro (9.7-inch), Smart Keyboard, and Apple Pencil. It’s almost like Apple is saying this combination of devices is kind of like a toasterfridge that can do it all. I’d love to hear some thoughts from our readers on this.
Apple Adding More than 100 Diverse Emoji to iOS 10
Apple announced Monday that it will add more than 100 diverse emoji to iOS 10. The new emojis are part of the Unicode Consortium’s ongoing efforts to expand emojis, and Apple said it’s working with the Consortium to include diverse options.
Are Humans Becoming Robotic Faster than Robots Can be Human-like?
People are walking around, staring at their iPhones, mesmerized by messages and selfies. They’re reading lurid news, glued to YouTube videos and immersing themselves in Pokémon GO. Is this robotic behavior slowly replacing typical human behavior? Is it happening faster than robots can become more human? Could robots someday role reverse and become more human than we used to be? Page 2 of Friday’s Particle Debris expands the initial discussion and leaves us to ponder.