We finally have the winner of our iPhone 16 Pro international giveaway! Congratulations to Oliver T., and a huge thank you to everyone who participated.
iCloud.com on a Mobile Browser is Now Much Better
iCloud.com on mobile browsers has had a bit of an overhaul 9to5Mac noticed that it has improved on both iOS and Android.
Reported by News Landed, native browser support for iCloud.com on iPhone and notably Android has a landing page with support for Photos, Notes, Reminders, and Find iPhone (interesting enough, not Find My). On iPad and likely other tablets, you get native mobile browser support for Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Photos, iCloud Drive, Notes, Reminders, Find Friends, and Find iPhone. Notably, on iPad it is natively pulling up the desktop site when visiting iCloud.com. On iPhone, requesting the desktop site doesn’t change anything from the new native iCloud.com experience with the four apps that are currently supported.
Coronavirus Means Foxconn Will Assemble Less iPhones
Foxconn employees returning to work will be quarantined for two weeks, following the coronavirus outbreak. Consequently, the firm admitted production, including of iPhones, will be down this quarter, AppleInsider reported.
In continuing efforts to restrain the potential effects of the Coronavirus, workers returning from outside Henan province will be sequestered and not allowed to work for 14 days. Furthermore, those returning to work that live near the factory will still be isolated for seven days, following the re-opening of the facility on February 10. Additionally, in a statement to Bloomberg on Wednesday morning, Foxconn has cut its revenue growth guidance. Previously, the company said it would see a sales increase of between 3% and 5% on the year, and now it expects a 1% to 3% increase.
Britain Asks Allies For Huawei Alternatives
Britain wants to work with allies to find alternative provider to Huawei for its 5G network, says Digital Minister, Baroness Nicky Morgan.
Apple Music Teams up With Genius to Produce 'Verified'
‘Verified’ the show from Genius in which artists explain the lyrics to their biggest hits, will now premiere exclusively on Apple Music.
VSCO X Film Presets and What They're Best For (Update)
VSCO X is a membership program for the photography app VSCO. It’s a yearly subscription that offers members exclusive film emulation presets.
Apple News Chief Liz Schimel Leaves Company
Apple News chief Liz Schimel has left the company amid rumors that the News+ subscription service struggles to acquire subscribers.
Steve Wozniak Says Steve Jobs Driven by Being an 'Important Person'
In a podcast conversation picked up on by Cult of Mac, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak revealed that Steve Jobs “wanted to be that important person in life.” There were other telling anecdotes during the conversation with Guy Kawasaki too.
Woz just wanted to have fun, but Jobs was propelled by something else, Wozniak said on the podcast. “[He] was always looking for little ways to make a next step in money, [and] he wanted to be that important person in life,” Woz told Kawasaki. During the podcast, Wozniak talked about the early days of Apple and how success changed Jobs. “He got kind of strict,” Woz said. While Woz always liked to joke around, Jobs stopped doing so. Wozniak, meanwhile, told Kawasaki that he had no desire to be a rich guy. “I had told everyone I knew I was going to be an engineer at Hewlett Packard for life because I loved it and I didn’t want to ever be corrupted by big money,” he said.
Huawei Equipment Backdoor Found in HiSilicon Chips
Hardware researcher Vladislav Yarmak found a Huawei equipment backdoor used in video recorders and security cameras.
To be clear, this security vulnerability is said to be present in the software HiSilicon provides with its system-on-chips to customers. These components, backdoor and all, are then used by an untold number of manufacturers in network-connected recorders and cameras.
It’s not a major threat, or anything people need to fret about, it’s just another indicator of Huawei’s piss-poor approach to security.
AKA do not let Huawei build your 5G infrastructure.
DOJ Questioning App Developers as Part of Apple Investigation
A number of iOS developers have been questioned by the DOJ as part of its ongoing antitrust investigation into Apple.
RelaxMyDog Video Streaming 2-Year Subscription: $39.99
We have a deal for dog owners today for a streaming video service called RelaxMyDog. RelaxMyDog provides music and videos specifically designed to help dogs overcome anxiety, loneliness, stress, boredom, and hyperactivity. The company claims more than 7 years of research and a formula they say helps 87% of dogs. A 2-year subscription is $39.99 through our deal.
Join the Mimeo Photo Contest to Win a Signed Print From Photographer Nigel Barker
Last year I reviewed Mimeo Photos on macOS, and I was pleased with the photo printing service. The company announced a photo contest judged by Nigel Barker, and winners can receive one of his signed prints and more.
The top 9 finalists will win a 20in x 30in print of their own image and a $25 Mimeo Photos voucher towards prints.
One lucky winner will get to choose from one of the below 20in x 30in signed Nigel Barker prints, a 20in x 30in print of their own image, and a $50 Mimeo Photos voucher.
4 Cloud Services to Torrent Files on iPad
Andrew found four cloud services that let you torrent files on iPad. All of them have free accounts and with two you don’t need an account.
Music Production, New Hardware – TMO Daily Observations 2020-02-04
Dave Hamilton and Charlotte Henry join host Kelly Guimont to discuss Neil Young’s comments, and Charlotte’s latest trip to the Apple Store.
Publish VSCO Videos With New This App Feature
After I published my list of VSCO presets I thought I’d send it to the folks at the company. As it turns out they had something to share with me too. As part of the VSCO X membership (US$19.99/year), users can how publish their videos to the feed, which was previously limited to photos.
We know this is something our community has been asking for and we can’t wait to see how you bring your stories to life with the new tools we’re making available for our members. We’ve rounded up some tips for how to take advantage of the new video features with your VSCO membership.
AirPods Pro and Naturespace is a Great Meditation Technique
Andrew recently started meditating as a healthy, daily habit. He found that AirPods Pro used with Naturespace is a great meditation technique.
Apple Gets New Project Titan In-Vehicle Device Location System Patent
Apple received a new patent related to its Project Titan automated vehicle project. Patently Apple reported it is for a device location system for vehicles.
In this Project Titan granted patent, Apple notes that passengers in vehicles may carry mobile devices into the vehicles. Once inside, a passenger may place the mobile device at a location inside the vehicle cabin. Occasionally, the mobile device may move, fall onto the floor, or slide into a location on the vehicle that is difficult to see or access. As a result, mobile devices are often lost inside vehicles. Current methods for locating a mobile device in a vehicle require some degree of manual intervention, which can be tedious and cumbersome.
2020 iPhone Rumor Roundup: It Can Do Everything Except Perform Surgery (Update)
A new 2020 iPhone rumor today says that it could have a 120Hz ProMotion display. We’ve taken all of the rumors so far and rounded them up.
ZAGG Introduces 10.2 iPad Keyboard Case ‘Messenger Folio’
During CES 2020 ZAGG introduced three keyboard cases for the 10.2-inch iPad, and today the Messenger Folio is available for purchase. It has laptop-style keys with optimal travel, backlighting, Apple Pencil holder, a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 2 years between charges, and a built-in stand.
The Messenger Folio combines protection and productivity in a slender case that fits neatly in your bag or backpack. Laptop-style keys, a long-lasting battery, and a tab for the Apple Pencil let you get down to work, and the protective case and magnetic lock let you get back up and on the move again.
It’s available for US$59.99 with free shipping.
Every VSCO Preset and What Photography They’re Best For
Over the past two years Andrew has collected information on every VSCO classic preset and the kind of photography each one works best with.
Negotiations to Launch Apple Pay Taking Place in Israel
Apple has begun talks with Israeli banks and credit companies in Israel, as it works to bring Apple Pay to the country. However, the commission fee could cause a problem.
Israeli financial institutions were not keen on Apple’s commission fee, which falls somewhere between 0.15% and 0.25% of each transaction. This works out to roughly one quarter to one-third of the credit card issuer’s revenue from the transaction, a hefty cut from an already relatively small fee. “It is disproportionate, and constitutes an exploitation of its status and power,” says a source familiar with the situation. While this may slow down talks, it should not be seen as definitive in any way.
Google Facing Another Privacy Probe in Europe
The Irish Data Protection Commission has launched probes into both Google and Tinder over data privacy concerns.
FCC Unsure Whether to Punish Carriers for Selling Location Data
Two years ago we found out that US carriers were selling real-time location data of its customers. The FCC has wrapped up its investigation, and maybe it will punish the carriers…or maybe not. Who knows? Chairman Ajit Pai doesn’t.
Pai’s statement went on: “Accordingly, in the coming days, I intend to circulate to my fellow Commissioners for their consideration one or more Notice(s) of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture in connection with the apparent violation(s). We are unable to provide additional information about any pending enforcement action(s) beyond what is stated in the letter.”
If that seems unusual vague: that “one or more” mobile operators “apparently violated” the law by selling location data, you’re not the only one.
Anonymized Data May Be Less Anonymous Than You Thought
Students at Harvard built a tool to analyze datasets from data breaches. They could identify an individual despite promises of anonymized data from companies.
Science Communicator Dr. Kiki Sanford (#8) - TMO Background Mode Interview
Dr. Kiki Sanford makes her eighth appearance on Background Mode. Kiki is a neurophysiologist with a B.S. in conservation biology and a Ph.D. avian neurophysiology from the University of California. She’s a popular science communicator and creator/co-host of This Week in Science (TWIS) podcast and radio show.
In this episode, we spend the entire first segment discussing the coronavirus. Kiki fills us in on the details you don’t hear about on the nightly news. In segment #2, Kiki tells us the real reason why people under stress get grey hair, how Mars used to have surface water, how the Earth’s sea level is rising faster than expected, and how zebra strips seem to provide good protection against biting insects. As always, Kiki makes science fun and interesting.