Link

How Worried Should You Be About Public USB Charging Stations?

Andrew Orr ·

Today DuckDuckGo published a post about the risks of using public charging stations. Technology exists that lets hackers install malware via these chargers. While I personally think the risk is a bit overblown, this is an argument I think can be added in favor of a portless iPhone.

Although it has become synonymous with charging, USB technology was initially developed with the aim of transmitting data. Thus, hackers can use these public charging stations to install malware on your smartphone or tablet through a compromised USB cable. This process, called “juice jacking”, allows hackers to read and export your data, including your passwords. They can even lock your device this way, rendering it unusable.

TMO Deals

Crave PowerPack 2 - 50,000mAh Battery Charger: $189.99

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on a big boy portable battery, the Crave PowerPack 2. This 50,000mAh has two USB-C ports, one of which offers 60 watts for charging your laptop. The other USB-C port is an 18 watt port for mobile devices. It also has two QuickCharge USB charging ports for other mobile devices.

Link

A Database of 500 iPhones Cops Tried to Unlock

Andrew Orr ·

Motherboard built a database of over 500 iPhones that law enforcement have tried to unlock. Many of them weren’t able to be unlocked at all.

Out of 516 analyzed cases, 295 were marked as executed. Officials from the FBI, DEA, DHS, Homeland Security and Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were able to extract data from iPhones in investigations ranging from arson, to child exploitation, to drug trafficking. And investigators executed warrants against modern iPhones, not just older models.

As mentioned, this provides useful data instead of the usual anecdotes. You can find the database here.

Link

First ARM Macs Could Arrive in 2020

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple is preparing to move its Macs to use ARM processors, starting with the MacBook. The first ones could arrive by the end of this year, according to a note by analyst Ming Chi-Kuo, seen by Cult of Mac.

In his latest note to investors, Kuo reveals that Apple could ship its first ARM-powered Mac by the end of 2020. It is believed a MacBook will make the switch first — ahead of Apple’s desktop machines. However, almost all Macs could use ARM chips eventually. The transition will obviously take time. Switching CPU architectures would require all software, including the macOS operating system itself, to be rewritten. Existing apps and games would not be compatible without some kind of emulator.

Link

How TAG Huer is Trying to Compete With The Apple Watch

Charlotte Henry ·

By any measure, the Apple Watch has won. The device helps Apple dominate the wearables market and outsells all its rivals by a significant margin. However, TAG Huer is hoping the 2020 version of its Connected smartwatch will help it stay in the game. Wired took a look at the device.

Its Monaco watches are square so it’s conceivable that we could one day see a square smartwatch from the brand, but the new TAG Heuer Connected shows that we’re unlikely to get a device that doesn’t look and act like a conventional watch. That’s unsurprising from a Swiss watchmaker, but it’s also notable in that it makes TAG Heuer one of the only genuine alternatives to Apple remaining. Five years after its first smartwatch, the 2020 edition of the TAG Heuer Connected isn’t dramatically different. The team of 30, up from four and now based in Paris, is doubling down on the idea of watch craftsmanship, both on the hardware and in the digital watch faces, and adding its own custom Sports app for golf, running and cycling.

Is The Event You’re Going to Canceled Yet?
Cool Stuff Found

Is The Event You're Going to Canceled Yet?

Charlotte Henry ·

A large number of events, including major tech conferences, have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Given the constantly evolving situation, it can be hard to keep track of what is happening to events you were due to go to. Luckily, isitcanceledyet.com is helping to keep people as up to date as possible. Scroll through and you can check if what you were meant to attend is still going ahead.

Link

Working From Home Isn’t For Everyone, But it’s Not Overrated

Andrew Orr ·

Writing for ˆThe New York Times, Kevin Roose says that working from home is overrated. Is it really though? I took umbrage at the sensational headline until I came to this part (emphasis mine):

But I’ve been researching the pros and cons of remote work for my upcoming book about human survival in the age of artificial intelligence and automation. And I’ve now come to a very different conclusion: Most people should work in an office, or near other people, and avoid solitary work-from-home arrangements whenever possible.

In other words, this article is an ad for his book. Moving on. To be fair, if you tend to fall on the extroverted end of the spectrum, maybe remote work isn’t best for your mental health. But calling it “overrated” just because you don’t care for it is simplistic.

Link

Apple Seeds watchOS Beta Five

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple seeded the fifth Beta of watchOS 6.2 to developers on Wednesday. MacRumors took a look at some of the new features on offer.

watchOS 6.2 introduces ‌Apple Watch‌ App Store support for in-app purchases, which will allow developers to create and sell ‌Apple Watch‌ apps that offer in-app purchase options and subscriptions. Code in iOS 13.4, the companion update to watchOS 6.2, suggests that both the ‌iPhone‌ and the ‌Apple Watch‌ will in the future have a “CarKey” feature that will let them be used in lieu of a car key to unlock NFC-capable vehicles. It’s not clear if this feature will be available when watchOS 6.2 launches, but it is in the works.

Notability 9.3 Update Adds Presentation Mode, Single Page Mode
Cool Stuff Found

Notability 9.3 Update Adds Presentation Mode, Single Page Mode

Andrew Orr ·

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

Link

Yahoo Mobile Phone Service Arrives for $40

Andrew Orr ·

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.