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Firmware Update Means Blackmagic eGPU Fully Supports Pro Display XDR

Charlotte Henry ·

A firmware update means the Blackmagic eGPU and Apple’s new Pro Display XDR are now fully compatible. Cult of Mac said users already had got the setup working, but this update should make everything much smoother.

Blackmagic eGPU units now play nicely with Apple’s new Pro Display XDR following a firmware update. The version 1.2 release is available now for both the Blackmagic and Blackmagic Pro. Apple states on its website that Pro Display XDR is compatible with any Mac connected to a Blackmagic eGPU over Thunderbolt 3. And users have been reporting that this setup works just fine. Nevertheless, it seems a firmware update was necessary for complete compatibility. And you can get your hands on it today. Blackmagic and Blackmagic Pro owners should be able to download the version 1.2 release immediately.

Cool Stuff Found

Take a Group 'Slofie' With an iPhone 11

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple released a new video showing off the ‘Slofie’, a slow-motion selfie, feature on the iPhone 11’s front camera. It is a quick, fun, clip that shows just how the iPhone camera features can make even the most mundane circumstances look glamorous. The video features a track called  “Jet Black” by Channel Tres. In September, Apple moved to trademark the term.

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Updated Apple Maps Data Available to All Users

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple rolled out updated Maps data for Alaska and the Southeastern U.S., MacRumors reported Friday. It tested the update earlier in December and it is now fully available.

The revamped Maps app features more extensive geographical details, with updated buildings, roads, parks, sports fields, parking lots, foliage, pools, pedestrian pathways, and bodies of water. To get its mapping data, Apple uses its own vehicles equipped with LIDAR sensors and cameras. Apple has been using this method to collect mapping information for years now. Apple began rolling out its updated mapping app to customers starting in iOS 12, and at the 2019 Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple said all customers in the United States would receive the improved Maps app by the end of the year.

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Wyze Leaks Data of 2.4 Million Security Camera Customers

Andrew Orr ·

Wyze makes cheap security cameras for people, cheap in terms of price and now apparently security (ironically). A database of its user data was found exposed on the internet, unsecured.

This included a staggering array of personal information including email addresses, a list of cameras in the house, WiFi SSIDs and even health information including height, weight, gender, bone density and more.

“We are confirming that some Wyze user data was not properly secured and left exposed from December 4th to December 26th,” the company said. It denied that it had leaked bone density information, for example, but confirmed it had leaked “body metrics” for a small number of beta testers.

I’m still trying to figure out why a security camera company would have health information.

Podcast

Avoid RISCy Behavior – Mac Geek Gab 795

John F. Braun · · Add Comment

Ever have an iOS device that won’t stay connected to your Mac? How about needing to connect your Thunderbolt 2 devices to your new Thunderbolt 3-equipped Mac? What about proving your location in the past? Or looking up phone numbers?

These are just a few of the questions John and Dave tackle this week. Of course, Cool Stuff Found and Quick Tips are healthily represented as we drive towards the end of 2019. Just make sure to avoid RISCy behavior. Or don’t, and be like Chuck Peddle!

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‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2 Arrives Fall 2020

Andrew Orr ·

Fans of Disney’s The Mandalorian will be pleased to know that show runner Jon Favreau confirmed that it’s been approved for season 2, which will arrive fall 2020.

We already knew ‘The Mandalorian’ would be returning for a second season, after Favreau revealed in November that he’d begun filming on the second instalment of episodes. But now we have a better idea of exactly how long we’ll have to wait to find out what happens next in the streaming original, which is arguably the best new Star Wars universe content since the original series of films (yes, I really believe that).

TMO Deals

Babbel Language Learning 1-Year Subscription (with 14 Languages): $119

Bryan Chaffin ·

This is your last chance on a 1-year subscription for Babbel Language Learning that gives you access to all 14 languages offered by Babbel. You’ll get to practice with 10-15 minute bite-sized lessons, and Babbel uses speech recognition technology to keep your pronunciation on point. And, it comes with 10,000 hours of online language education. 1 year through our deal is $119. There’s also a 2-year option available in the deal listing.

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New Year’s Resolution: Delete These Apps

Andrew Orr ·

As we near the end of a decade, much of the news lately is about privacy, like apps that track your location. For your 2020 resolution, consider deleting these apps.

And as we enter the third decade of the 21st century, apps are sure to become an ever-increasingly important part of our lives. Still, that means there are certain apps that you should probably cut out of your life for good—for the benefit of your finances, mental health, privacy, and time. As we kick off the 2020’s, here are the apps you should consider kicking off your smartphone.

The article mentions categories of apps, and not many individual apps. So here’s my advice: Delete apps from Facebook and Google.

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YouTube Took Responsibility in 2019 - What's Next?

Charlotte Henry ·

2019 was a big year for YouTube, as the video-sharing site faced extensive criticism. Bloomberg News looked back on a year spent taking responsibility and what lies ahead for the firm in 2020.

As 2020 begins, the largest online video service is being dragged deeper into political fights over privacy, copyright and content moderation. In response, YouTube is trying to preserve the sanctity of its status as an online platform with little liability for what happens on its site. Instead, that burden is increasingly falling on the shoulders of regulators, video creators and other partners. Nowhere is that more evident than YouTube’s approach to kids. A landmark privacy settlement this year with the Federal Trade Commission is forcing YouTube to split its massive site in two.

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We Are All Tracked, All The Time

Charlotte Henry ·

The New York Times has published a stunning report showing the full extent of how we are tracked via our smartphones. Obviously, it’s behind a paywall, but if you can get to it the piece is well worth reading.

After spending months sifting through the data, tracking the movements of people across the country and speaking with dozens of data companies, technologists, lawyers and academics who study this field, we feel the same sense of alarm. In the cities that the data file covers, it tracks people from nearly every neighborhood and block, whether they live in mobile homes in Alexandria, Va., or luxury towers in Manhattan. One search turned up more than a dozen people visiting the Playboy Mansion, some overnight. Without much effort we spotted visitors to the estates of Johnny Depp, Tiger Woods and Arnold Schwarzenegger, connecting the devices’ owners to the residences indefinitely.

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The 10 Biggest Apple Stories of The Last Decade

Charlotte Henry ·

It’s been an outstanding, dramatic, and sometimes tragic decade for Apple. iMore looked back at the biggest stories that affected the company of the last 10-years. It all started with a misplaced iPhone prototype…

It was April 2010. The rumor fervor hadn’t even gotten into full-swing, when Gizmodo revealed that it had gotten its hands on the iPhone 4 prototype. The website’s parent company, Gawker, had bought it from someone that found it at a bar for $5,000. Oh boy. What a hangover the Apple employee must have had the next day. What this unfortunate mistake that anyone of us could have made revealed is that number one; There are prototypes of as-yet-unreleased iPhones just roaming around in the wild and if you hang out at San Jose based bars, you might just see one, and number two; Apple does not like it when people leak their secrets (Apple ended up seeking damages from both the seller and Gizmodo).