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Jeff Butts

Jeff Butts is a seasoned tech aficionado with deep roots in the Apple ecosystem. Starting his journey in the early 1980s by experimenting with hardware, Jeff has always been driven by a desire to get the most out of technological devices. His expertise has led him to prominent roles in the industry, including a nearly three-year stint as a Reporter at AppAdvice and an impressive seven-year tenure as a Writer/Editor for Byrnes Publishing, LLC. More recently, Jeff lent his technical insights to HotHardware, Inc. as a Tech Editor. With his extensive experience and unwavering commitment to providing valuable content, Jeff continues to be a trusted voice for readers keen on Apple products and innovations.

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Articles by Jeff Butts

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More Bitcoin-Linked Visa Cards Than We Thought

Jeff Butts ·

On Apple Context Machine, Bryan Chaffin and I briefly discussed credit and debit cards that are linked to cryptocurrency. It turns out, there are actually 54 such cards already, just in the Visa catalog.

These projects have gained traction — crypto-linked Visa debit cards facilitated over $1 billion worth of transactions across Visa’s 70 million merchants worldwide in the first half of 2021 alone. $1 billion is only a small fraction of the trillion-dollar payments industry, however retail interest in cryptocurrencies is picking up, suggesting the market has room to grow, especially with younger generations.

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Apple Music and Kanye West to Hold Third 'Donda' Listening Party

Jeff Butts ·

Kanye West fans have been clamoring for the artist to finally release his upcoming album, Donda. Unfortunately, the release date keeps changing. Maybe the album will drop next week, during or after the just-announced third listening party on Apple Music. The event is slated for Thursday, August 26 at 10pm EDT, from Soldier Field in Chicago.

While West has recorded and teased or even announced release dates for multiple unreleased albums over the years, “Donda” has had the most public gestation of them all — and of any album by a major artist in history. Some have speculated that he is setting up a release-date battle with Drake — who has said he’s finally finished his long-awaited “Certified Lover Boy” album — similar to his release-date face-off with 50 Cent in 2007.

 

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Apple Pay Support Comes to Qatar

Jeff Butts ·

Believe it or not, some countries still don’t have Apple Pay support. We can now count Qatar as one of the countries that does offer support for Cupertino’s digital wallet, after a recent announcement by Qatar bank QNB.

QNB is one of the largest financial institutions in the region and operates a number of subsidiaries in 31 countries, including many neighboring states. While the company announced Apple Pay availability for all customers, it appears the service is currently limited to people living in Qatar.

“We are proud for taking the initiative of bringing Apple Pay to the Qatari market. QNB has a reputation of providing its customers with state-of-the-art technologies,” said Heba Al-Tamimi, general manager at QNB Group’s Retail Banking arm.

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US Government Still Wants an iOS Backdoor

Jeff Butts ·

Some thought efforts to force an iOS backdoor were over. In fact, Cupertino may have won the battle in 2016, but the war wages on. Jeff Butts outlines the latest stalled efforts, and how they are probably just a setback for the government.

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This Hardware Hack Gives iPhone Dual-SIM Support

Jeff Butts ·

In China, owners of the iPhone XR, iPhone 11, and iPhone 12 models enjoy dual-SIM support. This means they can insert two nano-SIMs, even from different carriers, into their phones. This feature is only available in China, and Apple doesn’t provide the configurations anywhere else. In the iPhone 12, of course, you have the possibility of using your physical SIM card along with a second, digital eSIM. YouTuber Hugh Jeffreys , however, had the idea to try swapping the SIM reader and tray in a non-Chinese iPhone for one from China. Surprisingly, the hardware hack works and provides dual-SIM support for non-Chinese iPhones. It’s definitely an advanced-level task, since it requires removing the display from your device. Still, if you want to have support for two physical SIM cards in your iPhone, it definitely seems within reach.

Cool Stuff Found

Program Your Own Robot or Drone With a pi-top Kit

Jeff Butts ·

I’ve been a fan of Raspberry Pi for years. This tiny computer can do so much with such a tiny footprint. It can be your desktop computer, a classic arcade game, or whatever you dream up. The board even features a general purpose input/ouput (GPIO) header. This allows you to incorporate electronics components, like sensors, LED lighting, motors and servos. Hobbyists have used the Raspberry Pi in robotics applications almost from day one. This latest product, though, takes the hobby to another level. It’s the pi-top [4] robotics kit, and it allows makers to develop just about anything they can imagine. It’s programmable in Python, .NET, and more. You can program your robot or drone to avoid obstacles, recognize lines and objects, respond to gestures, racognize faces, and more. The pi-top [4] Complete Kit includes everything you need to get started. You’ll get the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, the pi-top case, and enough electronic components to really get your feet wet. For construction of your robot or drone, the pi-top and included metal plate work with LEGO and Meccano, as well as things you make from raw materials or repurposed objects.