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The Inside Story of How Apple and Google Worked on Contact Tracing

Andrew Orr ·

CNBC has a report today on how a small team at Apple started developing ideas on how to help with the pandemic. It was codenamed Project Bubble.

In mid-March, with Covid-19 spreading to almost every country in the world, a small team at Apple started brainstorming how they could help […] Within a few weeks, the Apple project — code-named “Bubble” — had dozens of employees working on it with executive-level support from two sponsors: Craig Federighi, a senior vice president of software engineering, and Jeff Williams, the company’s chief operating officer and de-facto head of healthcare.

It’s a fascinating read.

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New iPhone SE Gets The Teardown Treatment

Charlotte Henry ·

It has arrived. Having outlined which iPhone 8 parts go in the 2020 iPhone SE, iFixit has published its teardown of the new device.

The two most commonly replaced components, display and battery, remain straightforward to access with the proper knowledge and tools. Most components are modular and independently replaceable, including many that are cross-compatible with iPhone 8. IP67 seals complicate repair, but make the need for difficult liquid damage repairs less likely. While the overall construction is pretty repair-friendly, you’ll still need up to four different driver types for many repairs. The fragile glass back is impractical to replace.

Cool Stuff Found

Apple Support 4.0 Update Adds Dark Mode, New User Interface

Andrew Orr ·

The Apple Support app was updated today with Dark Mode and a new, streamlined user interface. It‘s easier to find topics like Device Performance and Repairs & Physical Navigation, as well as support for services like Apple TV+. Release notes: All new customized user interface, including ‌Dark Mode‌ support; Get smarter solutions for even more topics using guided, step-by-step troubleshooting; It’s now easier to find support for all of your Apple services and subscriptions; New and improved chat and call experiences. App Store: Apple Support – Free

Cool Stuff Found

Todoist Introduces 'Upcoming View' to Give Users Clear Picture of Their Schedule

Charlotte Henry ·

Todoist, the popular checklist and planning app, has made those tasks a little bit easier. On Tuesday, it rolled out a new ‘Upcoming View’ that gives users a clearer picture of what’s to come. The company explained all in a blog post and showed off the new feature in a video. The app is available through the App Store, with a premium subscription costing $3.99 a month or $35.99 for a year.

TMO Deals

U-STREAM Home Streaming Studio with 10" Ring Light and Tripod: $49.99

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on Aduro’s U-STREAM Home Streaming Studio, a bundle of products designed to help you make the perfect in-home video. It includes a tripod with a 10-inch ring light with 3 distinct lighting options and a remote. The tripod is adjustable, and stands from 18-inches to 52-inches. And the included smartphone holder has a non-slip rubber grip to hold your phone securely in place. This kit is $49.99 through our deal.

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Examining the iPhone SE Single Lens Camera

Andrew Orr ·

The team behind camera app Halide have taken a look at how well the iPhone SE can take Portrait Mode photos with a single lens camera.

The new iPhone SE can’t use focus pixels, because its older sensor doesn’t have enough coverage. Instead, it generates depth entirely through machine learning. It’s easy to test this yourself: take a picture of another picture.

A good write up, and interesting that it can do this purely with software, while the iPhone XR still had some hardware basis for these types of photos.

Podcast

NASA Aerospace Engineer Dr. Craig Hunter - TMO BGM Interview

John Martellaro · · Add Comment

Dr. Craig Hunter is an aerospace engineer at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia with research experience in experimental, theoretical, and computational fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, and aeroacoustics.  He has developed technology-enabling software tools and analysis methods for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation, aerodynamic design, and jet noise prediction.

In 2008, Craig founded Hunter Research and Technology to create innovative and compelling apps for the fledgling Apple iPhone, namely Theodolite, Pro Compass and Nav Camera.

Craig is an expert pressing high-end Macs into service for scientific computations. We chatted about his Ph.D work, work at NASA in CFD and jet engine noise simulations, his recent computational review of a US$31,000 2019 Mac Pro, and his iOS app side-business and how that market has changed over the years. Heady stuff.

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8 Year Old Finds iPhone Screen Time Workaround

Andrew Orr ·

An eight year old has found an iPhone Screen Time workaround, after her older brother noticed something odd (His post on Reddit has since been deleted).

It turns out she’d developed a pretty simple trick to keep browsing videos: just access YouTube through the iMessage App Store…For example, the Reddit post specifies that the eight-year-old in question was unable to access YouTube on the iPhone’s Safari app or even in the iMessage version of YouTube. The kid had to go to some lengths to figure out that she could access YouTube by searching for it in the iMessage App Store.

She’s a security researcher in the making.

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Verizon Late Fees for Customers, Small Businesses Waived Until June 30

Andrew Orr ·

Verizon announced today that it won’t terminate service or charge late fees for customers through June 30.

Verizon today signed onto the FCC’s new “Keep Americans Connected” pledge. Verizon’s new customer commitment will help ensure connectivity and offer assistance to customers and small businesses facing challenges from the global crisis.

Good to know if you’re a Verizon customer.

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GDPR Hasn’t Been as Aggressive as Critics Would Like

Andrew Orr ·

Two years later, Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation has struggled with a lack of enforcement, not enough funding, limited staff resources, and stalling tactics by tech companies.

Privacy groups and smaller tech companies complain that companies like Facebook and Google are avoiding tough oversight. At the same time, the public’s experience with the G.D.P.R. has been a frustrating number of pop-up consent windows to click through when visiting a website.

I expected a lot more out of it as well. Sounds like the government needs to take it more seriously.

Podcast

It's Good to Do The Math – Mac Geek Gab 812

John F. Braun · · 1 Comment

USB Power Delivery isn’t as clear a concept as it could be, and your two favorite geeks help sort this out. That’s not all, of course, because John and Dave are here to answer ALL of your questions. This week that includes issues with Spotlight, Backups, displays for your Mac mini, managing your external DAC, and more. Press play … and enjoy!