‘Eve’ 4.3 Update Gives You Faster Access to HomeKit Features
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‘Eve’ 4.3 Update Gives You Faster Access to HomeKit Features

Andrew Orr ·

Eve 4.3 adds fast access, improved customization options, and improvements for new products like Eve Cam and Eve Window Guard. You can now long press in almost any area of the app to quickly control an accessory, set a scene, and view its details. Get an overview of a room to instantly toggle all lights and refine room settings. You can also touch, hold, and slide your finger to quickly select a command. Eve 4.3 adds a new way to view and manage automations directly in the accessory’s details view. Long press to toggle Rules and set Scenes, or create new rules and scenes. App Store: Free

Podcast

TMO UK Associate Editor Charlotte Henry (#6) - TMO BGM Interview

John Martellaro · · Add Comment

Charlotte is the Mac Observer’s UK Associate editor, based in London. A self described media junkie, she has also written for City A.M. (London’s daily business tabloid,) Computer Business Review, and The Times, amongst others. Her new book is: Not Buying It.

In this episode, Charlotte and I dig deep into Apple TV+. We look at its current market share and growth potential based on a zero sum game, the possible addition of live sports, and a customer satisfaction survey. In passing, Charlotte believes that the naming conventions Apple has used for its Apple TV hardware and software have created a giant mess of customer confusion. We explored some new shows and also examined the character of Apple TV+ content compared to other streaming TV services.

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Google Chrome 85 Hides Full URL Addresses

Andrew Orr ·

Google wants to follow in Apple’s footsteps by hiding the full URL in Google Chrome 85. Instead, with an optional (for now) toggle, users can choose to have the address bar display only the top level domain.

There’s no public explanation yet for why Google is pressing ahead with these changes, but the company has said in the past that it believes showing the full address can make it harder to tell if the current site is legitimate.

However, it’s also worth considering that making the web address less important, as this feature does, benefits Google as a company. Google’s goal with Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) and similar technologies is to keep users on Google-hosted content as much as possible, and Chrome for Android already modifies the address bar on AMP pages to hide that the pages are hosted by Google.

In other words, Google doesn’t want people to be able to tell the difference between Google and the internet.

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How Nianitic is Working to Follow the Success of Pokémon Go

Charlotte Henry ·

Following a hit is always hard. Gamesmaker Niantic has found this after the mega-success of Pokémon Go. The company’s boss John Hanke told Bloomberg News on how it is trying to create the next big thing.

“We’re hard at work on our games pipeline with a multiyear product road map made up of games and other forms of AR experiences,” John Hanke, chief executive officer of the San Francisco-based studio, told a group of reporters last week. “We are extending the concept of what constitutes a Niantic game in a variety of ways,” he added, without elaborating. AR technology, which blends digital elements with real-world environments, is seen as one of the next big leaps in mobile tech and many firms are gearing up to seize the opportunity. That includes Apple Inc., which Bloomberg News has reported will build 3-D cameras into this year’s iPhone generation like it’s done for the latest iPad Pro. Formerly a part of Alphabet Inc.’s Google — which has its own AR ambitions — Niantic is in charge of the most popular AR app in history with Pokémon Go.

Notability 9.4 Update Improves the Audio System, Plus 8 new Languages
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Notability 9.4 Update Improves the Audio System, Plus 8 new Languages

Andrew Orr ·

The newest update to Notability—9.4—adds improvements to audio recordings. These recordings can now be renamed, reordered, trimmed, merged, and split. The sound equalizer has been improved in which frequencies can be adjusted for optimal listening. The recording UI has been updated, too. Next, eight new languages have been added for handwriting recognition: Danish, Filipino, Indonesian, Malay, Polish, Swedish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. Finally, a mix of smaller updates include support for iPadOS mouse pointers, themed popovers with Dark Mode, and fixes an issue where the tool switching in the top toolbar could sometimes become unresponsive. App Store: US$8.99

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WWDC 2020: How Developers Plan to 'Attend' Apple's Event

Charlotte Henry ·

While the fact that WWDC 2020 is going to be virtual even means developers and other attendees will save on hotels and flights, they will miss out on some of the benefits in-person attendance means. A number of them told CNBC how they intend to make the most out of next week.

Adrian Eves, an iOS developer based in Alabama, said he plans to take all of WWDC week off work so he can follow along with the videos and announcements. He’s created a Slack group called WWDC Lobby to discuss the announcements in real-time with other fans, including Apple employees. “Since everything’s remote, we need a way to adapt ourselves to this experience. I’ve been to different conferences, and the best thing is, besides the subject matter, the networking,” Eves said… For independent developers and companies that send several people, the savings could be substantial. “WWDC moving online is terrific for smaller developers, particularly those based abroad. Even for us, WWDC being online will save us upwards of $100,000 on event sponsorships, travel, and accommodation, since most of our team is based in Europe,” said Oleksandr Kosovan, CEO of MacPaw, a software developer focused on Apple products.

Apple Developer Mac App Updated With New UI
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Apple Developer Mac App Updated With New UI

Andrew Orr ·

Today Apple released a developer app on macOS called Apple Developer, which matches the iOS app of the same name. In fact, this could very well be the Catalyst version of the iOS app. The reason I think so is because I noticed my “Get App Icon” gave me the iOS icon, even though I used the Mac link. Or, that could mean nothing. The app is meant to be your one-stop guide to developer news, and also a great place to watch WWDC 2020. Stay up to date on the latest technical and community information; browse news, features, developer stories, and informative videos; catch up on videos from past Apple events and download them to watch offline. There’s also an in-app purchase to sign up for the Apple Developer Program.

TMO Deals

OXITEMP Smart Watch with Live Oximeter: $49.95

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on the OXITEMP Smart Watch, a device that includes a body temperature detector and tracker. It also has a Live Oximeter that tracks your Blood Oxygen Levels. It comes in Black, Teal, Pink, and Green, and it’s $49.95 through our deal.

Export Shared Photos and Videos With ‘GrannySmith’
Cool Stuff Found

Export Shared Photos and Videos With ‘GrannySmith’

Andrew Orr ·

GrannySmith is a new tool from Tyler Hall that can export shared photos and videos from Apple Photos, including their comments and likes. They will be exported in a date-based folder structure to keep them organized. If photos and videos are stored in iCloud, GrannySmith will download the originals.

I also want to point out that GrannySmith does not store or transmit your photos, videos, comments, etc. off your Mac. Everything is done 100% locally. I see none of your data and don’t want to see any of your data. Keep all those cute kid pictures to yourself.