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Microsoft Ends Support for Minecraft Earth in June 2021

Andrew Orr ·

Microsoft announced on Tuesday that it plans to end support for Minecraft Earth on June 30. Demoed at Apple’s WWDC event in 2019, the game was built for augmented reality as a way to make you feel as if you were actually in the game.

Today we are releasing the final build of the game, containing some changes to make your time in Minecraft Earth as fun as possible. We hope these adjustments will allow you to explore, craft, and build more – while staying safe indoors.

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Hartford Man Bought Apple Watch Using Fraudulent Credit Cards

Andrew Orr ·

Bankole Awosika of Hartford, Connecticut, used fraudulent credit cards to purchase an Apple Watch, two iPhones, and five other “cheaper phones”. He was charged with forgery and identity theft.

The man, Bankole Awosika, 34, was arrested by local police Dec. 11 and charged with four counts of first-degree forgery, five counts of third-degree identity theft, five counts of criminal impersonation, three counts of illegal use of a payment card, three counts of receiving goods from the illegal use of a payment card, third-degree larceny, first-degree attempt to commit forgery, third-degree attempt to commit identity theft, attempt to commit criminal impersonation, and second-degree breach of peace.

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Even Facebook Submitted Privacy Labels. How Bad Could Google’s Be?

Andrew Orr ·

The last update for Google’s iOS apps was on December 7, one day before App Store privacy labels went into effect. Is Google delaying the inevitable?

As for why Google might be trying to delay revealing its privacy label information, it’s possible the company saw all the bad press Facebook got when the social media giant was forced to reveal all the ways its apps track users, and the press and social media reactions spooked the company. Facebook Messenger’s privacy labels are horrifyingly long, for example.

For this one I’m going with a modified version of Hanlon’s Razor: “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by the holidays.” I haven’t gotten updates for a bunch of other apps, either.

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Over 80,000 UK-registered .eu Domains Have Stopped Working After Brexit

Charlotte Henry ·

More than 80,000 UK-registered .eu websites and related emails have stopped working following the completion of Britain’s departure from the EU, Computing reported. It is as a result of rules that state EU rules an .eu domain can only be held by a citizen or organization located within the block.

The EU also ruled that any British .eu domain holder who shifted their domain’s registration address from a UK address to somewhere in the EU would be eligible to retain the domain. Brits who failed to do that would have their domains suspended from 1st January 2021 to 31st March 2021 – as has now happened… On 2nd January 2021, the registry manager delivered its third Brexit notice to UK registrants, telling them that their .eu domain was no longer compliant with the .eu regulatory framework and has been moved to “SUSPENDED” status until 31st March 2021. According to EURid, a suspended domain can no longer support any service (such as website and email), but its registrar can still reinstate it after updating the registration data.

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Microsoft Building New Outlook Web App for Windows and Mac

Charlotte Henry ·

Microsoft is building a universal Outlook client that will work across both Windows and Mac, Windows Central reported.  Currently named ‘Project Monarch’, it will replace default Mail & Calendar apps on Windows 10.

Project Monarch is the end-goal for Microsoft’s “One Outlook” vision, which aims to build a single Outlook client that works across PC, Mac, and the Web. Right now, Microsoft has a number of different Outlook clients for desktop, including Outlook Web, Outlook (Win32) for Windows, Outlook for Mac, and Mail & Calendar on Windows 10. Microsoft wants to replace the existing desktop clients with one app built with web technologies. The project will deliver Outlook as a single product, with the same user experience and codebase whether that be on Windows or Mac. It’ll also have a much smaller footprint and be accessible to all users whether they’re free Outlook consumers or commercial business customers.

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Twitter Acquires Podcasting Company ‘Breaker’ for Twitter Spaces

Andrew Orr ·

Twitter has acquired a social broadcasting app called Breaker and its team to help build Twitter Spaces, a new product in beta that lets users chat in real time with voice.

On January 15, 2021, Breaker will shut down for good. Up until that point, Breaker users will be able to export their OPML file to transfer their subscriptions to another podcasting app. Breaker recommends apps like Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts or Castro as an alternative. For those hosting a podcast on Breaker, these can be transferred elsewhere via the RSS feed.

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Cash Your Stimulus Check Using This New ‘Venmo’ Feature

Andrew Orr ·

Venmo has added a new check-cashing feature to its app rolling out to select users on Monday. It can be used to cash printed, payroll, and U.S. government checks. The company is also waiving its 1% fee for stimulus checks for a limited time.

To be eligible to use Cash a Check, Venmo customers will need to have either Direct Deposit or a Venmo Debit Card enabled on their account, location services turned on, and a verified email address.

Customers who gain access to the feature will then be able take a picture of their endorsed check and send it to the Venmo app to review, much like they would if cashing a check in a mobile banking app.

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New Weekly Fitness+ Series and Apple Music Playlists Now Live

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple has added a number of “goal-setting workouts’ to Fitness+, MacRumors reported. It’s part of a new weekly series designed to help users stay motivated and on track with their training. More Music playlists have been added too.

A new introductory video can be found on the main Fitness+ page in the Fitness app, where trainer Kim highlights what’s new in the subscription service this week and points users to the new Ring in the New Year Limited Edition Activity Challenge that can be found on their Apple Watch… In the video, Kim picks out two workouts in particular that offer goal-setting motivations, including a 20-minute strength workout and a 10-minute HIIT workout, and should help users bag the Ring in the New Year Challenge award, which can be earned by closing all three rings for seven days in a row.

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Ex-Apple Employees' Lidar Startup to Get Major Cash Injection

Charlotte Henry ·

A Lidar sensor startup founded by two former Apple engineers, set for a $200 million investment by a Hong Kong-based hedge fund, Bloomberg News reported. The firm is also set to go public via a reverse merger.

Aeva — a company that’s yet to turn a profit — is valued at about $3 billion, the startup’s chief executive officer, Soroush Salehian, said in an interview. Aeva plans to use the extra cash to meet demand from consumer device companies and speed up some of its technological achievement milestones, he said. “We are seeing interest from a number of new customers, from auto and industrial and consumer applications,” Salehian said, adding the company is working on applications for mobile phones, tablets and consumer health. Salehian, who helped develop the Apple Watch during his almost five years as a product manager at the tech giant, says Aeva has an edge in consumer devices because its tech can be fit onto a chip small enough for tablets and smartphones, as well as the bulkier boxes used for automotive lidar.