Apple is partnering with Jimmy John’s for its latest Apple Pay promotion. Through March 15 you can get a special deal when you use Apple Pay.
Andrew Orr
Since 2015 Andrew has been writing about Apple, privacy, security, and at one point even Android. You can find him most places online under the username @andrewornot.
Articles by Andrew Orr
New Drama Series ‘Suspicion’ Planned for Apple TV+, Starring Uma Thurman
Apple ordered a new drama series for Apple TV+ called Suspicion. It will star actress Uma Thurman (Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction).
Notability 9.3 Update Adds Presentation Mode, Single Page Mode
Handwriting app Notability got an update yesterday. Notability 9.3 adds Presentation Mode and Single Page Mode. With Presentation Mode you can view a note in full screen without toolbars and menus when connected to an external display; use laser pointer functionality, in addition to all of Notability’s drawing tools; app background goes to black to enable you to focus on the note content; Multi-Note allows you to see a private note while presenting. Meanwhile, Single Page Mode lets you flip through a note horizontally one page at a time, and it makes pages feel like slides. App Store: US$8.99
Yahoo Mobile Phone Service Arrives for $40
Yahoo Mobile is a new phone service that costs US$40/month. It uses Verizon’s network to give you unlimited texts, calls, and 4G data.
Times of high congestion will result in a slower connection, and tethering is limited to 5Mbits, with one tethered device permitted at time. Regular download speeds will range between 5-12 Mbps, with upload speeds of around 2-5 Mbps — not ground-breaking stuff, but reasonable enough.
It’s a direct competitor to Verizon’s other prepaid service, Visible (Which I use). Visible sounds like a better deal than Yahoo Mobile though since it removed its data cap.
Apple News Highlights Special Coronavirus Coverage
Apple is adding a special coronavirus coverage section to bring readers the latest news about the viral outbreak.
Apple Reportedly Cancels March 31 Event
It hadn’t been confirmed yet but rumors pointed to a March 31 event for Apple, but now it may have been canceled.
Careless ‘Whisper’ Leaks Years of User Data
Whisper, an app for people to share their secrets, exposed user data like age, location, and more for years.
The records were viewable on a non-password-protected database open to the public Web. A Post reporter was able to freely browse and search through the records, many of which involved children: A search of users who had listed their age as 15 returned 1.3 million results.
The cybersecurity consultants Matthew Porter and Dan Ehrlich, who lead the advisory group Twelve Security, said they were able to access nearly 900 million user records from the app’s release in 2012 to the present day.
You can never be 100% secure but at least put a damn password on your server.
Do You Own a Tesla? It’s Vulnerable to Hacking
Security experts found that Teslas are vulnerable to certain kinds of hacks. One expert, Brian DeMuth, said there are no easy ways to prevent it, but you can take some measures.
There are a few things that can reduce the risk if you are willing to accept diminished functionality in the car. For example, the telematics unit can be removed from the vehicle to eliminate attacks over the cellular network, but this also will prevent mobile apps and other remote functionality from working. Removing the telematics unit could also trigger warnings and other errors to appear in the instrument cluster or infotainment system.
Arturo Castro Joins Apple TV+ Series ‘Mr. Corman’
Arturo Castro has signed on with Apple to star alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt the comedy series Mr. Corman.
12 Apps for Working Remotely Featured on App Store
Today Apple featured a story in the App Store that lists 12 apps you can use for working remotely and connecting with your coworkers.
Microsoft and 35 Countries Take Down ‘Necurs’ Botnet
Microsoft, along with partners in 35 countries have taken down the Necurs botnet, responsible for infecting over nine million computers.
Apple Shares Trailer for Apple TV+ Show ‘Central Park’
Apple has shared the first trailer for its upcoming animated music comedy Central Park. From the co-creator of Bob’s Burgers Loren Bouchard, it follows the life of a family living in Central Park. Voice cast includes Josh Gad, Leslie Odom, Jr., Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Tituss Burgess, Daveed Diggs, and Stanley Tucci. It arrives to the Apple TV app on May 29.
Command & Conquer Remastered Collection Arrives June 5
Electronic Arts is releasing a Command & Conquer remastered collection on June 5. It features Tiberian Dawn and Red Alert along with their three expansion packs: Covert Ops, Counterstrike, and The Aftermath. They provide a reveal trailer on YouTube. The graphics are in a higher resolution to match modern device screens, up to 4K resolution. Some aspect of gameplay has been changed, but it’s otherwise faithful to the original games. I remember playing Red Alert and liked it, so I look forward to the remastered version It will be available for PC via Steam and Origin.
Correction: A previous version of this article stated that it would be released for PC and Mac. It will be available only for Windows.
Tracking Company Sensor Tower Used VPN Apps to Collect Data
Tracking company Sensor Tower has been using its VPN apps on iOS and Android to collect data on its millions of users.
Australia Takes Facebook to Court Over Privacy Violations
Australia’s privacy regulator is taking Facebook to court over Cambridge Analytica. It could impose a fine of AUD$1.7 million (US$1.1 million) for every privacy violation.
“Facebook failed to take reasonable steps to protect those individuals’ personal information from unauthorised disclosure,” the Australian commissioner’s office said.
Big companies like Facebook need fines in the billions of dollars for them to start paying attention.
iOS 14 Leak Suggests Apple Watch May Get Sleep Tracking, Kids Mode, More
Leaked iOS 14 code includes updates for watchOS 7, suggesting future Apple Watches will get sleep tracking, kids mode, and more.
Worried About Germs? Here’s How to Clean Your iPhone (Update)
Your iPhone is probably your most-used device and it easily gets covered in germs. Here’s how to clean your iPhone the right way.
5 Productivity Apps to Help You With Your Work
We’ve found five productivity apps to use so you can give your workflow a boost, like using MindNode, Standard Notes, Fantastical, and more.
RSS Reader ‘NetNewsWire’ Arrives on iOS
Introduced on July 12, 2002 NetNewsWire was the most popular RSS readers by 2005. It offered people custom feed views, downloading/opening podcasts, syncing feeds between devices, and a built-in browser. After a company acquired it in 2011 it ultimately shut down in 2015. Since then, the original developer Brent Simmons has control once again, and after releasing an updated version for macOS, NetNewsWire is now available for iOS and iPadOS. It’s free and open source. We also have an interview with Mr. Simmons where he talked about the app.
Patch Your Netgear Router Because it Could Get Hacked
Netgear is pushing out security patches for its networking products this week. They contain flaws that could open them up to hackers.
Modem/routers:
D6200, D6220, D6400, D7000, D7000v2, D7800, D8500
Range extenders:
PR2000
Routers:
JR6150, R6120, R6220, R6230, R6250, R6260, R6400, R6400v2, R6700, R6700v2, R6700v3, R6800, R6900, R6900P, R6900v2, R7000, R7000P, R7100LG, R7300DST, R7500v2, R7800, R7900, R7900P, R8000, R8000P, R8300, R8500, R8900, R9000, RAX120, RBR20 (Orbi), RBS20 (Orbi), RBK20 (Orbi), RBR40 (Orbi), RBS40 (Orbi), RBK40 (Orbi), RBR50 (Orbi), RBS50 (Orbi), RBK50 (Orbi), XR500, XR700
Apple Encourages Employees to Work From Home
Apple is encouraging employees at its Apple Park headquarters to work from home due to the coronavirus cases in Santa Clara Valley.
New FCC Require Carriers to Authenticate Calls With STIR/SHAKEN
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai proposed new rules today that would require companies to authenticate calls with the STIR/SHAKEN protocol.
Apple Shares Trailer for Apple TV+ Series ‘Home Before Dark’
Home Before Dark is an upcoming series for Apple TV+. It’s based on the true story of a nine-year old journalist.
A mystery inspired by the reporting of a real nine-year-old journalist. When a young girl and her family move back to the small town her father left behind, her pursuit of the truth leads to the unearthing of a long-buried cold case.
The series is created and executive produced by Jon M. Chu and showrunners Dana Fox & Dara Resnik; written and executive produced by Russel Friend & Garrett Lerner; and executive produced by Steve Golin for Anonymous Content, Joy Gorman Wettels, Rosemary Rodriguez and Sharlene Martin.
Serious Flaw in Intel Chips Lets Attackers Decrypt Hard Drives
A flaw found in Intel chips lets attackers decrypt your hard drive, among other things. It can’t be fixed, only mitigated with patches.