A cryptocurrency wallet can be software, hardware like a USB device, or even a piece of paper. Here are five wallets to look at.
Amazon Fire TV: Over 400 Live Streaming Channels Now Available
Amazon Fire TV now has over 400 live streaming channels, Deadline reported. Furthermore, half of these are free, ad-supported offerings. Some features have been updated too.
Nearly 20 programmers are supplying live channel content, among them bundled subscription services like YouTube TV, Sling TV and Philo. Newly integrated on Fire are free offerings like Xumo and Amazon’s IMDb TV and news app. Plex will soon join the fold. Voice commands via Amazon Alexa have also been added to live TV programs. Alexa will respond to commands to “play Good Morning America” or “play the Seahawks game,” for example. Live shows also now appear in the “App Peek” feature of the updated Fire TV user interface.
Netflix Introduces New 'Fast Laughs' Feature for iOS
Netflix is introducing a new feature on its mobile apps called Fast Laughs. It’s a way for people to browse short, funny clips from its video content.
Fast Laughs offers a full-screen feed of funny clips from our big comedy catalog including films (Murder Mystery), series (Big Mouth), sitcoms (The Crew) and stand-up from comedians like Kevin Hart and Ali Wong.
You access the feed through your bottom navigation menu by clicking on the Fast Laughs tab. Clips will start playing – when one ends another begins, to keep the laughs coming.
The UK Contactless Payment Limit Has Gone up, But it Will Have Little Impact on Apple Pay
The UK limit on single contactless transactions – those that you can simply tap your card to make, no pin or signature required – has increased to £100. However, as Ben Lovejoy at 9to5 Mac noted, this will have little impact on those who want to use Apple Pay to purchase goods as the limit was already significantly higher than that. (In the U.S. of course, the situation is different with different ceilings on when a signature etc is required.)
Apple Pay uses a more sophisticated form of contactless payment reserved for mobile wallet devices that have biometric authentication. With this protocol, banks and retailers can set a much higher payment limit, or even have no limit at all, because the device verifies the identity of the user via Face ID or Touch ID in the case of an iPhone, or the PIN you entered on an Apple Watch when putting it on in the morning. When I asked at the time of launch, my bank hinted that its own limit was £750 ($1,050), and certainly I have made three-figure purchases using Apple Pay. Some people report successfully using Apple Pay for mid-four-figure purchases.
HoverBar Duo is New Adjustable iPad Stand From Twelve South
The unique part of the product is the option to use a weighted stand or a desk clamp so you can attach it to a variety of surfaces.
Watch the Trailer for New Series ‘Calls’ Coming to Apple TV+
“Calls” is a unique series coming to Apple TV+ told through a 12-minute phone calls. Based on the French series of the same name (Apple ordered an English adaptation in 2018), Calls is an immersive television experience that masterfully uses only audio and minimal abstract visuals to tell bone-chilling stories. Launching in a binge model worldwide, all nine 12-minute episodes are told through a series of phone calls that use sharp writing, compelling voice talent and graphics to aid in transcribing the darkly dramatic conversations onto the screen. These relatable scenarios transport the audience into familiar situations that quickly become surreal with thrilling and frightening moments. Featuring Lily Collins, Rosario Dawson, Mark Duplass, Pedro Pascal, and others. It arrives March 19.
Amazon Launches ‘GameOn’ App to Share Gaming Clips on iOS
Following its Android launch in November, Amazon has released its GameOn app so mobile gamers can share clips to their favorite social media.
Spotify Podcast Listeners to Overtake Apple This Year
Spotify’s podcasts play looks like it is paying off, with forecasts that it will surpass Apple Podcasts in terms of monthly listeners in 2021.
Ridley Scott Wants Jodie Comer for Apple TV’s ‘Kitbag’
A new report says that Jodie Comer is Ridley Scott’s choice to star alongside Joaquin Phoenix in Bonaparte film “Kitbag”.
Apple Watch’s ECG Launch in Australia Imminent Following Approval
The launch of the Apple Watch ECG features in Australia seems imminent. The 8-Bit reported that it received approval in February.
The Australian Government’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved the ECG feature in the country yesterday under “Medical Device Class IIa,” according to a document first spotted by The 8-Bit. This means that Apple Watch users in Australia will soon be able to access the ECG app. According to the document of approval “The ECG app is a software-only mobile medical application that is intended to be used with the Apple Watch to create, record, store, transfer and display a single-channel electrocardiagram (ECG) similar to a Lead I ECG. The ECG app determines the presence of atrial fibrillation (AF) or sinus rhythm on a classifiable waveform. The ECG app is not recommended for users with other known arrhythmias.”
M1 Support Coming to Open Source Email Client ‘Thunderbird’
In the latest beta version of Thunderbird the company added a welcome surprise in the notes: Future support for Apple’s M1 Macs. These notes apply to Thunderbird version 87 beta 1 released February 26, 2021. What’s New: Native support for macOS devices built with Apple Silicon CPUs; New user interface for adding attachments; Clicking on an already-selected pill in the recipient list will now allow editing the address; Copying a large message to an IMAP server would sometimes prematurely display a time-out error; OpenPGP: Messages with a high compression ratio (over 10x) could not be decrypted; and other fixes and improvements.
Civilization VI and You – TMO Daily Observations 2021-03-02
Andrew Orr and Bryan Chaffin join host Kelly Guimont to discuss the latest iteration of the game Civilization, and also explain the game to Kelly.
Picture-in-picture Back in Hulu on iOS 14
Picture-in-picture has returned for Hulu users running iOS 14, MacRumors reported. The feature had been available for a short period before but was then removed for updadtes.
In the early days of iOS 14 in September, Hulu briefly supported picture-in-picture for iPhone users. Hulu soon removed support, however, to refine the feature and “work on a few updates to provide the best experience for our viewers.” Hulu has quietly welcomed back support with the latest update to the app, alongside the typical bug fixes and improvements. Apple introduced picture-in-picture for the iPhone with iOS 14, allowing users to continue watching a video while also browsing other apps on their device. Popular video-based apps such as Netflix have supported the feature for some time, while others like YouTube for iOS have not.
In-Game Video Returning to MLB Dugout iPads, but MLB.TV Off Apple TV Third Gen
In-game video is set to return to iPads used by MLB team dugouts when the season starts on April 1. However, AppleInsider noted this is happening at the same time the MLB.tv has been removed from third generation Apple TVs.
Major League Baseball will be allowing teams to watch video of the game in progress once again, following a period of absence. As part of its changes for the 2021 season, MLB is once again allowing video to be piped through to teams on iPads in each dugout. The league has extensively used iPads in the past, providing the tablets to staff and players for performance examination and analytics. Following a ban until 2015, the program started in 2016, and ran smoothly for a number of years, with the iPad Pro initially the tool of choice… While players will be able to watch the game from the dugout, owners of the third-generation Apple TV won’t be able to do the same on their devices. Support for the app was pulled late in February, preventing it from being used on the older video streaming device.
macOS Big Sur 11.3 Developer Beta Three Now Available
The third developer beta of macOS Big Sur 11.3 is available via Apple Developer Center and as an over-the-air update.
Apple Hearing Study Shares Concerning Statistics
The Apple Hearing Study has shared statistics from its participants (n=unknown) showing many experience dangerous sound levels.
Nicole Kidman, Cynthia Erivo, Merritt Wever, Alison Brie to Star in Apple TV+ Series 'Roar'
Apple TV+ has placed a series order for ‘Roar’, a dark comedy series of feminist fables featuring big-name stars, including Nicole Kidman.
Avanca T1 Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds: $29.95
We have a deal on a pair of Avanca T1 Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds. These Bluetooth 5.0 devices allow you to answer and hang up phone calls with a tap on the earphones, and feature up to 30 hours of standby battery life and 3 hours of listening time. They’re $29.95 through our deal.
Reviewing Revue, Substack, and Clubhouse — Media+
Techcrunch’s Steve O’Hear joins host Charlotte Henry to look at some recent media phenomena – Revue, Substack, and Clubhouse. With the first already acquired by Twitter, should Apple be looking to get involved with either of the other two?
Editor Mel Lewis is Latest to Leave BBC Radio 1 For Apple Music
Editor Mel Lewis is the latest member of staff to have left BBC Radio 1 or 1Xtra in the UK to join Apple Music.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Runs on a Modified iMac G3 Processor
Apparently the Perseverance rover is running on a modified PowerPC 750 processor which was also used in the original iMac G3 from 1998.
Run Virtual Machines on M1 Macs With ‘UTM’
UTM is an app I recently discovered that lets you run virtual machines on M1 Macs. It uses Apple’s Hypervisor virtualization framework to run ARM64 operating systems on Apple Silicon at near native speeds. On Intel Macs, x86/x64 operating system can be virtualized. In addition, lower performance emulation is available to run x86/x64 on Apple Silicon as well as ARM64 on Intel. For developers and enthusiasts, there are dozens of other emulated processors as well including: ARM32, MIPS, PPC, and RISC-V. Under the hood of UTM is QEMU, a decades old, free and open source emulation software that is widely used and actively maintained. While QEMU is powerful, it can be difficult to set up and configure with its plethora of command line options and flags. UTM is designed to give users the flexibility of QEMU without the steep learning curve that comes with it. Mac App Store Link
For The First Time Since March 2020, All 270 U.S. Apple Stores Are Open
Apple Stores have had to close, open, then close again throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. However, for the first time since March 2020, all 270 U.S. retails locations were open on Monday, according to 9to5 Mac.
While some Apple Stores offer in-store shopping appointments and others can accept Express pickup of online orders only, all 270 US locations are now open in some capacity as of March 1, 2021. Apple Stores in Texas around Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio were the last to reopen today. Over the past 12 months, Apple Stores have weathered a rambling calendar of horrors that began when the pandemic hit. After starting to reopen from May 11, 2020, evolving health guidance and COVID-19 infection spikes forced some stores to reclose and reopen a second, third, or even fourth time. If adapting and responding to new health and safety guidelines overnight wasn’t enough, Apple Stores were then confronted with looting and vandalism, an intense heatwave and wildfire smoke throughout California in the midst of curbside operations, Election Day and Inauguration Day security precautions, and severe winter storms in Texas that pushed back store reopenings in Austin by nearly a week.
Should Apple Really be Trying to Make a Portless iPhone?
Rumors rage that Apple is working on a portless iPhone. There are some valid reasons why this would be a good move, but there are major issues too. For instance, at the moment, the absence of ports would mean recovery required sending the device back to Apple. (I’m currently experiencing this with my Watch and it’s quite annoying.) Oliver Haslam explored this and the other problems with a portless iPhone for iMore.
The increased water resistance afforded by removing the Lightning port is cool and all, but iPhones survive long enough underwater as it is. And you’d still need a slot for your SIM card and holes for speakers and whatnot. These things won’t be 100% sealed, Lightning port or not. Could Apple make thinner iPhones because of the removal of a port? Possibly. But Apple has a history of iPhones bending and we would all rather more battery than a thinner device. Maybe this is all about adding bigger batteries after all? Next, there’s the potential return of Touch ID that’s built into the screen. Could Apple need more space for whatever black magic phone makers do to make that happen? Maybe, but probably not. The likes of Samsung manage it just fine with their USB-C port in tow.