If your contacts list contains duplicated data because you’re using more than one account to sync (like, say, both a Google one and your iCloud one), Melissa Holt has a fix to link them together.
Antivirus Firm Claims There's New Android Malware Every 10 Seconds
Sing the lyrics to The Beatles’ “Come Together.” Before you get to “holy roller” there will be a new instance of Android malware out there. That’s according antivirus firm G-Data, who claimed it found 754,958 instances of Android malware in just the first quarter. The company is projecting 3.5 million Android malware samples in 2017, a figure that would beat 2016’s record of more than 3.2 million.
Microsoft Surface in Schools Aims at Google in Education with Apple Caught in the Crossfire
Microsoft has made a number of product announcements that trouble Jeff Butts. The products look great, and it’s certain to give Google’s Chromebooks a run for their money. However, Apple is caught squarely in the crossfire of this battle, and needs to act soon to improve its placing in the education market.
Use Google Without Tracking in StartPage
I might have found my new favorite search engine. I like DuckDuckGo for its privacy, but folks have raised concerns about its US-based location. I’m also not happy that it doesn’t actually deliver Google search results. Instead, it serves up its own. StartPage, on the other hand, delivers actual Google search results in absolute privacy. It’s Google without tracking. They do this by submitting your query to Google stripped of identifying information. You even get a free proxy with every result. So, you can visit a third-party website without your internet service provider knowing about it. Even better, StartPage doesn’t track your searches or log your IP address. It’s such a privacy-minded search engine that it consistently meets or exceeds the requirements of EuroPriSe. Even Edward Snowden recommended it. Plus, StartPage offers many of the same tools as a normal Google search. This includes refining your results to only show images or videos. If a search engine can be sexy, this one sure is.
Alphabet's Waymo Offers 'Early Riders' Driverless Rides in Phoenix
Alphabet’s driverless car company—Waymo—announced an “Early Rider” program for its driverless cars. The company has invited the general public to apply to be part of the program, saying “We’re searching for early riders in parts of the Phoenix metropolitan area, including Chandler, Tempe, Mesa and Gilbert. Come join us in making it safer and easier for everyone to get around!” The feel-good video below features a family that participated in small-scale tests, and Waymo said it would accept a “limited number” of additional participants in the expanded program. Alphabet CEO Larry Page has been an enthusiastic pursuer of driverless car technology since before Google, and Waymo’s goal is to launch a ride-hailing service based on its driverless platform. Apple, Didi, Uber, and a variety of other tech companies are all invested in a similar vision. Waymo’s testing in Arizona is a sharp reminder that a driverless future is marching inexorably closer. You can apply at Waymo’s site.
iPhone 8 Delays, Apple's Satellite Pros - TMO Daily Observations 2017-04-24
Word on the street says the iPhone 8 won’t ship until October or November. Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on potential iPhone 8 production issues, plus they dive into Apple’s satellite expert hires from Google.
Apple Hires Satellite Experts away from Google
Apple has hired away a pair of Google’s top satellite experts, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Citing unnamed sources, Mr. Gurman reported that Apple hired John Fenwick, who previously led Google’s spacecraft operations, and Michael Trela, head of satellite engineering at Google. They are part of a new hardware team at Apple headed by another former Googler, Dropcam cofounder Greg Duffy.
Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon. Which Won't Make it to 2067?
There they are. The five tech giants: Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon. FGAMA. They’re all doing well. But if one had to predict which one won’t be around in 50 years, which one would it be?
John humbly predicts.
Google Maps for iOS Adds Turn-by-Turn Directions to Lock Screen Widget
Google updated its Google Maps app for iOS Monday. Version 4.30’s chief new feature is turn-by-turn directions on the lock screen courtesy of a Directions widget. With that widget, users can arrow through each direction in any active route from the lock screen or the Today view (swipe left on the Home Screen). Users can also send their location via Google Maps through iMessage. Both features give Google Maps a dramatically more integrated experience in iOS, erasing some of the pain points of not being the built-in Maps service for Apple’s mobile operating system. The Directions widget will need to be added to your lock screen, while the location feature is available through iMessage. The update is free, meaning you remain the product.
Woz Says Apple Will Still be Here in 2075
Apple will still be here in 2075, according to company co-founder Steve Wozniak, and Google and Facebook will be alive and kicking, too. Woz made his prediction over the weekend ahead this year’s Silicon Valley Comicon and its “The Future of Humanity: Where Will We Be in 2075” theme.
Apple's iPad Fights For the Education Market
The education market is very price sensitive. Three players are in a pitched battle for the right-priced personal computer: Apple (iOS), Google (Chrome OS + Android), and Microsoft (Windows 10 Cloud). These OSes and their implementation on hardware, plus the right kind of marketing and staying power, could determine which company seizes the hearts and minds of schools and students.
Why Apple Should Eventually Build Family Service Robots
Several things have become clear regarding AIs in our lives. There is little regulation. AIs can be manipulated in clever ways. Small devices like Google Home and Amazon Echo have very indirect business models so that they can be priced for the middle class, but have hidden drawbacks. John wonders where all this will lead with family service robots if Apple doesn’t step in and do it right.
Google's AutoDraw Turns Your Ugly Scrawls Into Line Art, Here's How to Use It
Google has a new “A.I experiment” called AutoDraw that can turn even ugly scrawls into proper line art. Or, more specifically, it will look at ugly scrawls and suggest actual line art you might have been aiming for.
Breaking News: Google Home Users Upset when Google Does Google
Hey, are you a proud owner of Google Home who got all pissy when you found an ad inserted your morning summary? Well, suck it up, buttercup. Bryan Chaffin argues you’ve got no one to blame but yourself.
XKCD's Snarky Look at Home Surveillance Virtual Assistants
Home virtual assistants like Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home, and to a lesser extent, Apple’s Siri, are loved by some and feared by others. Here at TMO, our staff falls on both sides of that line. Most of us love Amazon’s Echo/Dot/Alexa, while I personally hold my nose at the underlying technology and fear its potential for home surveillance. I should add that most of our staff also think I’m flat out wrong. Note that I’m OK with that. Of all the virtual assistant companies, only Apple has a stated position of protecting our privacy, but the company also hasn’t released hardware like Amazon Echo or Dot. Online comic strip XKCD took a snarky, succinct— and yet oblique—look at the subject. I’d love to know what our readers think.
Someone Is Slipping Malware Into Android Devices in the Supply Chain
Get this: someone is slipping malware into Android devices while they’re still in the supply chain. Security firm Check Point found evidence that malware, adnets, spyware, and even ransomware was installed on some 36 Android devices before customers touched them. Devices from Samsung, LG, Xiaomi, ZTE, Lenovo, Asus, and Oppo were included in Check Point’s report. Bryan Chaffin explains.