Two Years of Apple Arcade

Apple Arcade is fast approaching its second birthday. AppleInsider has a nice overview of where the gaming service sits in the marketplace, how it’s changed, and what some of its hits are.

There are multiple competing viewpoints around how to address gaming on mobile devices like iPhone and iPad. Microsoft, Amazon, and Google have all moved in the exact opposite direction of Apple Arcade by offering console-quality titles on mobile. These companies use game streaming as a distribution method rather than on-device downloads. This ensures games will work the same regardless of device performance. Only Netflix seems to be taking the mobile-first route in its gaming service. It plans on launching mobile games that subscribers can play as long as they have an active Netflix subscription. So far, the fledgling streaming services appear to have captured a particular market of gamers. However, Apple Arcade and its mobile-first platform have a much broader market appeal, lower entry price, and a constantly growing library. Apple’s approach also accounts for those who don’t have high-bandwidth internet at their disposal. Rather than needing the internet to play games, Apple Arcade games can be downloaded all at once and played offline.

Malware Dubbed ‘Raccoon Stealer’ Targets Crypto Wallets

Researchers at Sophos have been tracking a piece of malware called Raccoon Stealer. A recent update means it can target cryptocurrency wallets.

Raccoon can collect passwords, cookies, and the “autofill” text for websites, including credit card data and other personal identifying information that may be stored by the browser. Thanks to a recent “clipper” update, Raccoon Stealer also now targets cryptocurrency wallets, and can retrieve or drop files on infected systems.

Apple TV+: Martin Scorsese’s ‘Killers Of The Flower Moon’ Adds Brendan Fraser to Cast

Brendan Fraser (No Sudden Move) has joined the cast of Killers of the Flower Moon, reported Deadline. The Martin Scorsese-directed picture, which we got a first look at back in May, is set for release on Apple TV+.

The former title from Apple TV + and Paramount Pictures is a crime drama, based on the bestselling book of the same name by David Grann. It’s set in 1920s Oklahoma and will examine the serial murder of members of the oil-wealthy Osage Nation—a string of brutal crimes that came to be known as the Reign of Terror. Fraser will appear in Killers alongside Oscar winners Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, Emmy nominated Jesse Plemons, and more. We hear that he will play lawyer WS Hamilton.

Photo Service ‘Mimeo Photos’ Surpasses 1 Million Downloads on macOS

Mimeo Photos announced on Tuesday that it surpassed one million app downloads in the Mac App Store. Sean Doherty, General Manager of Mimeo Photos:

We are beyond thrilled to have achieved one million downloads in the Mac App Store. From the inception of Mimeo Photos, we have been available to Apple Photo users who want to create beautiful photobooks, cards and calendars directly from their Mac computer. It’s always been our top priority to allow our customers to create superior photo products no matter where they are or what device they’re using, and this achievement is a testament to that goal we continually set for ourselves.

I think it’s a great photography service and I’m glad to see a milestone like this.

AMD Releases New Radeon PRO W6000X GPUs for Mac Pro

On Tuesday, AMD announced its line of Radeon PRO W6000X GPU series for the Mac Pro.

Built on groundbreaking AMD RDNA 2 architecture, AMD Infinity Cache and other advanced technologies, the new workstation graphics line-up includes the AMD Radeon™ PRO W6900X and AMD Radeon™ PRO W6800X GPUs. Mac Pro users also have the option of choosing the AMD Radeon PRO W6800X Duo graphics card, a dual-GPU configuration that leverages high-speed AMD Infinity Fabric interconnect technology to deliver outstanding levels of compute performance.

Update to ProtonVPN Adds WireGuard Protocol, iOS Kill Switch

WireGuard is a new VPN protocol (and VPN itself) designed to be faster and more efficient than IPsec and OpenVPN. It passes network traffic over UDP. In its latest update, ProtonVPN has added support for WireGuard as a beta feature. Another feature for the iOS app is the Kill Switch which was previously only found on the desktop version. The Kill Switch will stop all network connections on your system if the VPN connection drops to prevent accidental IP leaks.

Australians Can Now Add Covid-19 Digital Certificate to Apple Wallet

Australians who have received two doses of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines can add the relevant certification to their Apple Wallet, Tap Down Under reported. It follows the same development in the UK.

As of today, it’s now possible to add a copy of your COVID-19 digital certificate to your digital wallet of choice – Apple Wallet or Google Pay – making it easier to show proof of vaccination for which will undoubtedly become required sometime in the future. There are two methods to add it into Apple Wallet; You can go straight to my.gov.au, tap on ‘Go to Medicare’ in the COVID-19 vaccination status area, and then under the PDF link, there’s an Add to Apple Wallet button. The other method, is to use the Medicare app – which is handy to have regardless for other features like a digital Medicare card.

Twitter Partnering With AP And Reuters to Tackle Misinformation

Twitter is partnering with news agencies The Associated Press (AP) and Reuters in a bid to tackle misinformation. Curation chief Joanna Geary explained how it is going to work in a blog post.

Twitter’s Curation team will increase our capacity to add reliable context to conversations happening on Twitter. This joint work will increase the scale and speed of the current work…by:  Increasing and improving context sharing: Ensuring that credible information is available in real time around key conversations as they emerge on Twitter, especially where facts are in dispute or when Twitter’s Curation team doesn’t have the specific expertise or access to a high enough volume of reputable reporting on Twitter. For example, people on Twitter can expect more Trends with contextual descriptions and links to reporting from trusted sources more frequently. Anticipating and proactively identifying emerging conversation: Proactively providing context on topics garnering widespread interest including those that could potentially generate misleading information. Rather than waiting until something goes viral, Twitter will contextualize developing discourse at pace with or in anticipation of the public conversation. Improving the effectiveness of product features: Supporting product experimentation and existing initiatives where additional credible context could make our work better. For example, Birdwatch will use feedback from AP and Reuters as one way to assess the quality of information elevated by Birdwatch participants.

The Rise of QR Codes has Privacy Experts Worried

The popularly of QR codes has risen due to the pandemic, since it enables touchless interactions. But they can be used for tracking and advertising.

But the spread of the codes has also let businesses integrate more tools for tracking, targeting and analytics, raising red flags for privacy experts. That’s because QR codes can store digital information such as when, where and how often a scan occurs. They can also open an app or a website that then tracks people’s personal information or requires them to input it.