Apple has a new commercial out called A New Light. It’s part of the company’s iPhone X series of commercials, and it promotes Portrait Lighting and Portrait Mode photography. It’s a 38 second spot that does a good job of demonstrating the kinds of thing you can do with Portrait Lighting on the iPhone X.
Bryan Chaffin
Bryan Chaffin is the cofounder of The Mac Observer and currently serves as Afternoon Editor. He has contributed to MacAddict and MacFormat magazines, and co-authored the last two updates of iPad and iPad Pro for Dummies with Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus and Ed Baig. You can find out more about Bryan at his personal site, GeekTells, or find his Twitter link below.
Articles by Bryan Chaffin
CES - The Lovebox Lets Lovers Send Messages in a Very Different Way
CES – The short version is that messages sent to your Lovebox from an app are available only in the Lovebox, which is a physical box.
CES - DJI Osmo Mobile 2, a Handheld Video Stabilizers for Smartphones
CES – DJI, best known for drones, announced Osmo Mobile 2 this week at CES. It’s a handheld smartphone gimbal designed to stabilize your videos by keeping it level despite your movements. Or, as DJI put it, Osmo Mobile 2’s, “three-axis gimbal technology cancels out movement in three directions so your video stays steady even if your hands shake or wobble.” It has a built-in rechargeable 2600mAh battery for up to 15 hours of operation, with a charging time of 2 hours. The device is priced at US$129, and will be available exclusively for pre-order at Apple.com on January 23rd, 2018. It will be available more widely starting in early February.
CES - Healbe GoBe 2, a Wearable That Tracks Caloric Intake, Calories Burned, Hydration Levels
CES – Healbe demonstrated GoBe 2, the company’s wearable it claims can track caloric intake, calories burned, and hydration levels, all non-invasively. It uses five activity and stress sensors, with all data sent securely to the GoBe 2 app for iOS or Android. The company is also developing a portal that will allow users to send data to “trusted nutritionists/wellness coaches,” though Healbe didn’t elaborate. GoBe 2 is water resistant in fresh water, but not salt water, and it works up to 48 hours on a charge. GoBe 2 is priced at US$199, with additional strap color options available at $19 each. It’s available now.
Ascape Audio Ascend-1 Truly Wireless Earbuds: $89.95
We have a deal on a pair of Ascape Audio Ascend-1 Truly Wireless Earbuds. The feature custom drivers built with 2098 graphene-enhance microfilm diaphragms. It comes with three different size tips to fit different ears, and the device runs up to 5 hours on a charge. The charging case itself holds enough power for 6 charges.
Apple's Chinese iCloud Occupation, HomeKit Miss, Apple Parenting, Oak Island - Pop.0 ep.28
In this TMO video podcast, Bryan Chaffin and John Kheit look at Apple’s Chinese iCloud occupation and what it says about Apple. They also think Apple is just plain missing the smarthome boat, judging by what we’re seeing at CES. John goes off on a tangent rant about parenting and Apple, and for the pop portion of the show, they talk about recent developments in The Curse of Oak Island. (WARNING NSFW: PROFANITY & RANTS)
CES - Fibaro's 'The Button' Controls HomeKit Scenes with One Touch
The device can be programmed for three separate actions: press once, press twice, and press-and-hold, each with a corresponding buzz to confirm a successful click.
Drive Genius 5: $39
We have a deal for you today on the venerable Mac utility Drive Genius 5. This software helps monitor and manage your storage device and its files with 19 different built-in utilities. It’s $39 through us, some 60% off.
Pay What You Want: Learn to Code 2018 Bundle
We have a new Pay What You Want deal for the Learn to Code 2018 Bundle. This is a collection of training courses covering coding for iOS, MySQL, PHP, Java, and much more. Here’s how it works: pay anything, even a penny, and get one course, Introduction to R Programming. Beat the average price ($15.36 as of this writing), and you’ll get all 10 training courses. Beat the leader’s price and you’ll get an entry in an iPhone X giveaway.
CES - Nite Ize iPhone Stand Marries a Magnetic Holder to a Bendable Arm and Clamp
It’s a nifty device that combines a magnetic holder, a flexible arm, and a clamp that let you mount it in a variety of places.
FBI Director Renews Calls for Magical Encryption Bypass, Doesn't Believe Experts Who Call It Impossible
Citing more than 7,700 locked devices the FBI can’t get into, Director Christopher Wray said he doesn’t believe experts who claim you can’t weaken encryption without putting everyone at risk.
Dashlane Password Manager Premium Subscription: $19.98
We have a deal on a subscription to Dashlane Password Manager, an online password storage system. Features include password generation, support for two-factor authentication systems, access from a variety of devices, and more. A one year subscription is $19.98 though us, and there are options on the deal listing for three and five years, too.
CES - OWC Announces ThunderBlade V4 Thunderbolt 3 Blade Drive with 2450MB/s Writes
Calling it the “fastest external drive ever built,” OWC said it’s capable of speeds up to 2800MB/s read speeds, and 2450MB/s writes.
Apple Releases macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 Supplemental Update with Spectre Mitigation
Apple released macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 Supplemental Update Monday, a security update designed to mitigate Spectre.
CES - Linksys Announces Velop Dual Band Nodes, New Software Features
In addition to dual-band Velop nodes, Linksys announced Intelligent Mesh, parental controls, security features, and other software improvements.
Microsoft Suspends Bitcoin Payments
Microsoft support called the move temporary, a response to high transaction fees and volatility in Bitcoin’s price.
The Award Winning Speed Reading Bundle - Lifetime License: $15
We have a deal on a lifetime license for the Award Winning Speed Reading Bundle, which includes 7 Speed Reading EX and Spreeder CX. Both apps are designed to help you read faster—they both run on Mac, Windows, and Linux, and 7 Speed Reading EX also runs on iOS. The bundle is $15 through us.
PSA: Panic Suspending Sales of Transmit iOS
The company cited low sales and overlap with Apple’s new Files app for iOS 11 as reason.
This Robot Is Named Justin, and He's Going to Build Houses on Mars
Check out Justin, a robot designed by German space agency DLR (via Wired). Justin is pretty special, starting with the fact that he was designed to make housing and other buildings on Mars. He’s powered by AI that allows him to do things he hasn’t been programmed to do, and he has three fingers and a thumb, each with eight joints, allowing him to handle a wide variety of tools. He can clean and maintain machinery, and in a recent test repaired a solar panel in minutes. Justin can also lift 31 pounds with each arm, which will go even further on Mars, which has a lower gravity. Oh, and he can make coffee and tee, thank you. Wired has more, and it’s very interesting.
CES - Belkin Announces Wireless Car Charging Mount, Other Qi Wireless Chargers
Belkin started CES early on Friday, with the announcement of several Qi-enabled wireless charging solutions that work with iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X.
Spectre Meltdown, Throttlegate Damages, Last Jedi, What's It Like to Be... Pop.0 Ep.27
In this TMO video podcast, Bryan Chaffin and John Kheit look at the Spectre Meltdown, significant security issues affecting most computing devices. They also think Apple could be facing significant damages from lawsuits over Throttlegate. Star Wars: The Last Jedi gets an in-depth nerd look, and they take some time to think about what it’s like to be Tom Cruise. (WARNING NSFW: PROFANITY & RANTS)
Zmodo Pivot 1080p Wireless All-in-One Security Camera System: $74.99
We have a deal on the Zmodo Pivot 1080p Wireless All-in-One Security Camera System, designed to give you a complete, 360º HD view of any room. It does so with sensors that can autorotate the camera when motion is detected. It has a built-in Bluetooth speaker and other features, too. Read the deal listing and specs for more. It’s $74.99 through us.
Apple Says Meltdown Was Patched in iOS 11.2, macOS 10.13.2, and tvOS 11.2, with No Measurable Impact to Speed
Note that in both cases, Apple referred to its updates as “mitigations,” rather than “patches,” likely because of the complexity of the problems involved and the fundamental ways in which they affect how operating systems do their jobs.
This Alarm App Makes You Take Photographs or Jump Around to Turn it Off
My older sister sent me a link to Alarmy today, knowing I struggle with “morning.” This cool app makes you do stuff to turn your alarm off, the idea being the effort to do those tasks will be enough to wake you up. Tasks include taking picture of a specific part of your house, say your bathroom sink. If you have a real problem, you could make that the tree in your front yard, or your mailbox. Other options include solving a math problem, vigorous movement, and more. I haven’t tested it out, yet, but I intend to! The app comes in two flavors, a “free” ad-supported version and Alarmy Pro, for $1.99. I paid for the Pro version imediately.